Mike Evans has lined up across from plenty of quarterbacks over his 12 NFL seasons, from Jameis Winston to Tom Brady. Now catching passes from Brock Purdy in San Francisco, Evans says he's seen the fourth-year quarterback's game evolve since their first meeting on opposite sidelines.
"He's a quarterback that's getting better each year," Evans said on KNBR. "I saw him in his first start — it was against us when I was in Tampa — and he just gets better and better. He's super poised, he's in the pocket, he throws a really good ball and he just loves the game of football."
Evans also pointed to an underrated part of Purdy's game: his ability to extend plays and throw accurately outside the structure of the offense. Evans compared it to what he saw
playing alongside Baker Mayfield and, before that, Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M.
"I agree, I think he is underrated in his mobility," Evans said. "He had a lot of really great plays last year outside the pocket. I mean, one of the best plays I've seen was when he was rolling to the left and breaking those tackles and he threw a touchdown to [Jauan Jennings] in the corner of the end zone. That's things I've seen with Johnny and Baker, and he has that in his bag."
Evans said he's hopeful his arrival gives Purdy another reliable weapon and takes some defensive attention off the rest of San Francisco's skill players. The two have already started developing a solid rapport, too, early in training camp.
The endorsement adds to a growing chorus around Purdy heading into 2026. With Evans, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel all sharing the field, San Francisco's offense is stacked with proven playmakers — and Evans believes Purdy has the poise and improvisational skill to make the most of it.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Mike Evans compares Brock Purdy to 2 former Heisman Trophy winners
