More NFL Free Agency Moves: Mike Evans has New Home

NFL free agency is off and running, and the deals continue to pile up.

We already went over a bunch of deals, and will cover some other NFL transactions in this article.

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Evans Signs with New Team

Mike Evans will be on a new team for the first team in his career. He landed a three-year deal from the 49ers, with it worth $60.4 million.

He is 32 years old and has played in the NFL for 12 seasons. Evans had 1,000 or more yards in his first 11 years in the league, before falling short in an injury-riddled 2025 season.

Evans might be on the back nine of his career, but he can still be a team's top wideout. He should be for the Niners.

Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings are the other likely starting wideouts, so that's a really good trio when adding in Evans. It will keep the Niners in the hunt for a division title, and will add another veteran to a team looking to get back to the Super Bowl.

The move is detrimental for Tampa Bay's wideout room. Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan are still there, but they lack an alpha wideout without Evans around now. Of course, if that trio is still around as the lead guys to start next season, the fantasy outlooks for each are improved without Evans around.

Tampa Bay can still win without Evans around, and they clearly are still going for it after signing Kenneth Gainwell already. The Niners are better after this move, and they should be a top-end contender in the NFC again next year.

Pierce Re-Ups with Colts

Alec Pierce is staying in Indianapolis after signing a four-year deal worth $114 million - it could be worth up to $116 million, and it includes $84 million in guarantees.

I hit on this deal when discussing the Michael Pittman trade in that last article, but I wanted to dive deeper into Pierce's re-signing. 

Pierce has been in the NFL for four seasons now, going for at least 500 yards and two scores in each year. He had 824 yards and seven scores in 16 games in 2024, then 1,003 yards and six touchdowns across 15 games in 2025.

Down Pittman, there's more room for Pierce to shine now in Indy. Josh Downs and Ashton Dulin are the other projected starters at this time, so don't be surprised if the Colts add a receiver through free agency or the NFL draft before the next season kicks off.

Pierce's fantasy outlook is much higher going into 2026 without Pittman around now. There's a chance Pierce could be the team's No. 1 wideout, and be a weekly fantasy starter, and that's for all leagues.

If no other wideouts are added, then Downs could also be a decent fantasy option. Don't forget about Tyler Warren at tight end, who could fill that third pass catcher role (really, he and Pierce could be the 1A/1B options).

Indy might be down a receiver, but I don't think they are significantly worse now. I expect Indy to add more offensive talent yet this offseason, but for now, Pierce is the top wide receiver, which is a plus for him.

Other Big Non-Fantasy Signings

Let's go over a bunch of other free agency signings. These guys aren't fantasy assets, but they can provide big real-world value. I picked out several of the highest-paid players in AAV (average annual value) - I used Spotrac for these numbers.

Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips signed a massive four-year deal worth $120 million with the Panthers. It's a loss for the Eagles, who most recently rostered Phillips, while giving Carolina a big boost on defense. 

The Raiders signed center Tyler Linderbaum to a three-year deal worth $81 million. That's a blow for the Ravens, who Linderbaum started 66 games for over the past four years. Las Vegas gets a big help on the o-line, which will help the team's new quarterback (likely Fernando Mendoza).

Tennessee made a huge splash adding Wan'Dale Robinson - we covered that in the last story. The Titans have also added John Franklin-Myers (three years, $63 million), cornerback Alontae Taylor (three years, $60 million) and cornerback Cor'Dale Flott (three years, $45 million). The Titans are shelling out money in free agency as they try to fill a lot of needs. The team is getting better, but it will all come down to the development of Cameron Ward.

The Rams got another former Chiefs' cornerback after signing Jaylen Watson to a three-year deal worth $51 million. Of course, the Rams traded for Trent McDuffie already this offseason. So the LA secondary has improved greatly this offseason, while the Chiefs now have a big need at cornerback.

Cleveland signed offensive guard Zion Johnson to a three-year deal worth $49.5 million. He was with the Chargers, so they have a need on the line. Cleveland gets a bit better on the line, but won't be stopping with just this move.

New Orleans signed Travis Etienne (covered in the other story), but they also got offensive lineman David Edwards on a four-year deal worth $61 million. The Saints are adding offensive pieces around quarterback Tyler Shough, and could be a playoff contender this coming year if they hit on their offseason moves.

Bryan Cook signed a three-year deal with Cincinnati - it's worth $40.25 million. He is another former member of the Chiefs, so their secondary has been decimated, and will require several offseason moves to rebuild. Cincy gets a much-needed secondary addition, so they are better because of it.