New San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans took questions from local reporters in a video conference call on Thursday, where he shared that he felt like he was the missing piece.
Evans was not shy about sharing who recruited him, saying, “George [Kittle] was the biggest salesman. George sold it big time, and he’s a big reason why I’m here, just because of the type of player and teammate that he is.”
Cam Inman of Mercury News spoke with Kittle directly, where Kittle shared his recruiting pitch:
I was as honest as I could be about the type of team we have and the type of franchise we have. The biggest thing I’m proud of as a Niner is how much the ownership puts back into the team and players, from how we travel to how they take care of us with body therapy. I think that’s unique and how every team should be, but not every team does that.
And I told him we have one thing in mind–to win a Super Bowl, and that’s a culture people want to be around. I’ve had five Tampa Bay players reach out and say, ‘Take care of him. He’s the man. I’m looking forward to it.’
Kittle, speaking candidly, had to be refreshing for Evans. It’s also not surprising to hear Bucs’ teammates love the guy who has been a constant since 2015. I have a close friend who is a diehard Tampa Bay fan who can’t say enough positive things about him. It seems like everybody feels the same way about Evans.
On the field, it didn’t have to be that difficult a sales pitch for Kittle. Evans has seen the 49ers offense in person multiple times now, plus their playoff runs over the years. Evans becomes the 49ers’ new No. 1 wide receiver, with Ricky Pearsall sliding into the No. 2 role.
The only thing left for the 49ers to do is see if they can upgrade from Demarcus Robinson, unless they believe that answer is on the roster in Jacob Cowing or Jordan Watkins.
