At the beginning of 2026 free agency, the Seattle Seahawks were busy losing key players, while one of their key NFC West rivals, the San Francisco 49ers, was busy agreeing to terms with veteran wide receiver Mike Evans. Evans is past his prime, but still a great signing for San Fran.
It is the kind of move that Seattle will pay attention to this offseason, but will also need to face twice in 2026. Evans is the kind of receiver who can be a great fit in head coach Kyle Shanahan's system. He can block, has a high catch rate, and will pick up the dirty yards needed to keep the chains moving.
Will he get to 1,500 yards receiving again? Unlikely, but the 49ers don't need him to.
San Francisco 49ers adding Mike Evans is deserving of a Seattle Seahawks countermove
The wide receiver will turn 33 years old before the start of next season, but until he missed nine games this past season, he had never had a season with fewer than 1,000 yards in his first 11 years. He is likely a Pro Football Hall of Famer and is an intelligent player who will find whatever holes exist in the Seahawks' defense.
Those potential holes might be worse after Seattle lost safety Coby Bryant to the Chicago Bears in free agency. Taking Bryant's place could be Ty Okada, but Evans versus Okada, should that occur, would be a mismatch. The receiver is stronger than the safety.
The point is, of course, that general manager John Schneider, whose team still has plenty of cap room, cannot continue to lose good players without replacing them with similar quality. The 49ers are working aggressively to get better, and the Evans signing proves that.
Another bitter rival, the Los Angeles Rams, has already made moves this offseason, too. LA traded for high-end cornerback Trent McDuffie before free agency, a move that the Rams hope will help them slow down Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The NFC West was brutally difficult, even while the Seattle Seahawks took the division title this past season on their way to winning the Super Bowl. Any slight dip in form could rearrange how the division looks in 2026. San Francisco and Los Angeles will make sure of that.
Still, unofficial free agency just started on Monday, and the Seahawks are bound to make key moves of their own. What they will be is yet unknown, but the hope is that John Schneider will work some more magic to keep Seattle as the hunted instead of the hunter.