On the first day of free agency, the San Francisco 49ers signed wide receiver Mike Evans in a three-year deal.

With this deal, the 49ers have fixed one of their biggest shortcomings. However, fans are picking apart Evans’ statement about joining the team and mocking him on social media. 

An X post by NFL expert Ari Meirov made on Friday shared the video of Evans speaking about his new move. In it, he called himself the “one piece” the 49ers were missing out on so far, and football fans did not hold back.

“New #49ers WR Mike Evans on why he chose San Francisco: “They always compete. Even with the injuries. I feel like they are one piece away, and I am that piece,” the post read. 

Evans was drafted by the Buccaneers in 2014 and played for 11 years with them. He made 866 receptions out of 1495 targets for 13,052 yards.

The wide receiver is turning 33 in August and was lackluster in the 2025 season. He made 30 receptions for 368 yards and scored three touchdowns only. He is no longer the star Tampa Bay Buccaneers player who had an absolute run between 2020 and 2024. 

Moreover, early September last year, Evans dealt with a strain in his hamstring, which heavily impacted his initial games. And in Week 7, he fractured his clavicle and was out due to surgery and rehab. 

These injuries are estimated to be the reason why his record streak of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons is endangered.

Well, after his statement about being that missing piece for the 49ers, fans haven't stopped talking about it on social media.

The NFL Fans mocked veteran Mike Evans

The comment section was soon flooded with GIFs and images, some from the anime series ‘One Piece’ with pointed comments at Evans’ expense. One comment imagined that Evans was instructed to make that statement, using it as a caption for a photo. 

A fan’s reaction pointed towards Evans’ history of injuries that have stopped him from being the important player he claimed to be in the video.

“*his hamstring listening to this*” the reaction said, followed by “How they gone have to reach for that one piece.”

However, according to him, it wasn't just about money.

“Yeah, I mean, I love money, obviously, like everybody else. But yeah, that’s true [that] the money was not the biggest factor for me. " As I said, it was just football and something that I can be excited about,” he opened up.

The 49ers have roped him in for $60.4 million for three years. And while he is being mocked online, tell us if your reaction is similar to theirs in the comments. 

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Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Kalp Thaker