- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,130,296
- Reaction score
- 59
Much has been written about the Mike Evans deal and how the veteran receiver is a great fit for the San Francisco 49ers. With the addition of Evans, the 49ers now have a true No. 1 receiver with tons of production and experience.
However, the move wasn't universally lauded. Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd didn't like the decision to sign Evans, mostly because Evans will be 33 this season, has been injury-prone recently and plays in a division with younger rosters like the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Cowherd pointed to the NFC divisional round game where the Seahawks, who were the fifth-youngest team at the time, beat the 49ers 41-6 before going on to win the Super Bowl.
"The 49ers truly believe age is just a number," Cowherd said. "I don't necessarily love adding a 30-year-old receiver who was banged up this past year. And I just think in a division where the Rams and the Seahawks have two of the deepest, if not the two deepest young, athletic, quick rosters — the Niners remind me of the [NBA's Golden State] Warriors. They're trying to the keep the band together. And I kind of feel like when I watch the Niners against the Rams or the Seahawks, I'm like, they don't have enough young athletes."
Evans is now the fifth star player on the 49ers over the age of 30, in addition to running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and offensive tackle Trent Williams. While Cowherd acknowledged that adding veteran talent makes it easier on a team to contend quickly, age also means that injuries can pile up faster and longer.
Cowherd compared the 49ers' current roster to the Washington Commanders, who made the NFC Championship game with the oldest roster in the league in 2024 before bottoming out due to injuries in 2025.
"I'm I know I'm supposed to love it, but San Francisco's got some players that are older than the trolley cars in the city. It's like, guys, you got to get younger in your division alone. You got to get younger. So, right now, the 49ers are currently ... the oldest roster in the NFL. For the record, last year, remember when Washington fell off a cliff? One of the problems was the Commanders, who had been to the NFC Championship year before; the old guys all got hurt. And when old guys get hurt, it takes them longer to recover."
Cowherd may not like the deal, but the 49ers didn't have many other options at the position. This is a team that needed bodies at receiver with Kendrick Bourne, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk all basically leaving the team this offseason. Not to mention, Kittle is recovering from an Achilles tear. That left Ricky Pearsall as the best pass-catcher on the team not named McCaffrey.
Evans is old and coming off an injured season, but he can still ball.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL free agency: Colin Cowherd doesn't love 49ers signing Mike Evans
Continue reading...
However, the move wasn't universally lauded. Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd didn't like the decision to sign Evans, mostly because Evans will be 33 this season, has been injury-prone recently and plays in a division with younger rosters like the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. Cowherd pointed to the NFC divisional round game where the Seahawks, who were the fifth-youngest team at the time, beat the 49ers 41-6 before going on to win the Super Bowl.
"The 49ers truly believe age is just a number," Cowherd said. "I don't necessarily love adding a 30-year-old receiver who was banged up this past year. And I just think in a division where the Rams and the Seahawks have two of the deepest, if not the two deepest young, athletic, quick rosters — the Niners remind me of the [NBA's Golden State] Warriors. They're trying to the keep the band together. And I kind of feel like when I watch the Niners against the Rams or the Seahawks, I'm like, they don't have enough young athletes."
Evans is now the fifth star player on the 49ers over the age of 30, in addition to running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk and offensive tackle Trent Williams. While Cowherd acknowledged that adding veteran talent makes it easier on a team to contend quickly, age also means that injuries can pile up faster and longer.
Cowherd compared the 49ers' current roster to the Washington Commanders, who made the NFC Championship game with the oldest roster in the league in 2024 before bottoming out due to injuries in 2025.
"I'm I know I'm supposed to love it, but San Francisco's got some players that are older than the trolley cars in the city. It's like, guys, you got to get younger in your division alone. You got to get younger. So, right now, the 49ers are currently ... the oldest roster in the NFL. For the record, last year, remember when Washington fell off a cliff? One of the problems was the Commanders, who had been to the NFC Championship year before; the old guys all got hurt. And when old guys get hurt, it takes them longer to recover."
Cowherd may not like the deal, but the 49ers didn't have many other options at the position. This is a team that needed bodies at receiver with Kendrick Bourne, Jauan Jennings and Brandon Aiyuk all basically leaving the team this offseason. Not to mention, Kittle is recovering from an Achilles tear. That left Ricky Pearsall as the best pass-catcher on the team not named McCaffrey.
Evans is old and coming off an injured season, but he can still ball.
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL free agency: Colin Cowherd doesn't love 49ers signing Mike Evans
Continue reading...
