MELBOURNE, Australia — Mike Evans was trying to downplay it, and he even started muttering the old cliché about how every game is important. But then he stopped himself.
“It’s in Australia … the first game of the season … my first game with this team … division opponent,” the 49ers receiver reminded himself. “Yeah, I guess there is a little bit extra juice. For sure.”
With all the talk surrounding the Los Angeles Rams’ trading for pass rusher deluxe Myles Garrett and bringing Aaron Donald out of retirement, 49ers players clear their throats when talking about the signing of Evans, who had 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“You can’t put a cornerback on him one-on-one, so that will open things up for everyone else on our offense,” tight end George Kittle said.
George Kittle says Mike Evans needs no coaching points: pic.twitter.com/fovjZSk04b
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 9, 2026
The 6-foot-5 Evans is the first true X receiver coach Kyle Shanahan has had since his days with Julio Jones winning one-on-one matchups in Atlanta. “He’s a stud,” Shanahan said before Wednesday’s practice.
Quarterback Brock Purdy and left tackle Trent Williams were also giddy about the acquisition of the likely Hall of Famer, and he has not disappointed.
“He’s a gold-jacket player, and it’s kind of what you expect,” Williams said. “We ain’t seen nothing less whenever he’s been on the field. It’s been cool having him around — just another veteran presence, another guy that’s a household name, done this for a long, long time at a very high level.
“Just having him around for this young locker room has been valuable.”
Evans has taken De’Zhaun Stribling under his wing and has been impressed every step of the way as the rookie has taken on a larger role after Ricky Pearsall needed season-ending surgery.
“He’s gonna be a great player, and he’s gonna help us out a lot this year,” Evans said. “He’s the ultimate playmaker. He’s physical, he’s tough, has great hands, and he’s really smart and is low-maintenance.”
Evans, 33, prides himself on being low-maintenance, though he chuckles that maybe he wasn’t as a younger player. He wanted to play for a Super Bowl contender, left home for less money to do it and has never looked back.
Evans walked into the 49ers locker room, with a lot of veteran leaders, and has fit in well.
“There’s a lot of people with a voice, and they lead by example,” Evans said. “And I’m happy I get to add my experience as well.
“I had to get a feel for everyone and kind of say, ‘This is who I am,’ but everyone’s been receptive and super positive. It’s been a cool transition.”
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Evans said the team has a lot of confidence after a “super competitive camp.” He missed some time with groin and quad injuries but said he is not concerned and wouldn’t have missed any time if it were the regular season.
“The training staff, they did a great job working with me,” Evans said. “I know I’m an older player. I’ve had probably over a thousand … football practices in my life now, so I know what I’m doing out there. They know what they’re doing.”
Offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said Evans’ veteran presence is clear.
“He’s seen a lot of football, and he’s a very savvy, confident veteran football player who adds a lot of leadership qualities to our room. And he’s a matchup issue,” Kubiak said. “And what I’ve been most impressed about Mike is Mike doesn’t ask a lot of questions. He doesn’t overthink a lot of things.
“‘Give me the route, tell me the play; I’m going to find a way to get it done.’”
Don’t overthink it.
“We’re going to be able to say that we were the first team to play in Australia,” Evans said. “And that’s cool.”
It’s the farthest Evans has flown since his honeymoon in Tahiti 10 years ago. But he has loved everything about it.
“I thought the flight was gonna be extremely hard, but it was easy, you know,” Evans said. “We had fun on the flight. We got good rest.”
Bring on the Rams, and bring on the 100,000 fans.
“That will give us some extra juice going,” Evans said.