The San Francisco 49ers made one of the biggest moves during the legal tampering period of free agency, agreeing to a deal with wide receiver Mike Evans. But as several analysts lauded the 49ers for the signing, Colin Cowherd believes the move was questionable, at best.
Cowherd disapproved of San Francisco’s move to add Evans despite his accomplished background because the signing of the 32-year-old receiver makes its old roster even older.
“The 49ers truly believe age is just a number,” Cowherd said on FS1’s “The Herd.” “Last year, when Seattle and San Francisco played for the final time, the Niners were the oldest team and the Seahawks were the fifth-youngest team. Seattle blew their doors off. So, in a division with a very athletic, young on defense Rams, and the very young Seahawks everywhere, I don’t necessarily love adding a 30-year-old receiver who was banged up this past year.
“San Francisco’s got some players that are older than the trolley cars in the city. Guys, you gotta get younger.”
With the addition of Evans, the 49ers have 20 players over the age of 30, a mind-boggling number. Many of those players are either core pieces or solid contributors to San Francisco’s success as well, such as left tackle Trent Williams (37), fullback Kyle Juszczyk (34), tight end George Kittle (32) and now Evans (32). Even running back Christian McCaffrey is getting up there in age, turning 30 this offseason.
And the older you get, the more prone you are to injury. That was certainly the case for Evans last season. He missed nine games in 2025 due to injury, getting sidelined due to hamstring and collarbone ailments.
However, Cowherd noted that the risk comes with reward as well, hinting at the intellectual maturity that veteran players like Mike Evans bring. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system favors high-IQ players.
“Clearly, [49ers head coach] Kyle Shanahan loves the IQ of the veteran gamers. He does not have to show him,” Cowherd mentioned. “[Evans] is a great, dependable, productive veteran.”
However, within the NFL, “sensible” and “dependable” are sometimes the final virtues {that a} soccer group clings to earlier than the ground falls out. And final season, these traits weren’t sufficient for the 49ers to maintain up with their high division rivals. The Seahawks gained the Super Bowl, whereas the Rams practically defeated Seattle within the NFC Championship Recreation.
With the 49ers doubling down on their method so as to add some veteran presence, Cowherd in contrast them to one among their Bay Space counterparts.
“In a division the place the Rams and the Seahawks have two of the deepest, if not the 2 deepest, younger and athletic rosters — the Niners remind me of the Warriors. They’re attempting to maintain the band collectively,” Cowherd mentioned. “You watch the Warriors face the T-Wolves final 12 months within the playoffs and it is like, Steph Curry will get banged up, sequence over. I kinda really feel like once I watch the Niners towards the Rams or the Seahawks, they do not have sufficient younger athletes.
“The Warriors had been like, let’s purchase Jimmy Butler and get some growing older stars. Let’s hold the window. Then, immediately, it’s not solely not open, however you’re unwatchable if Steph Curry does not play. When you transfer off Trent Williams, what occurs if Christian McCaffrey will get banged up for a month?”
Finally, the Evans signing reveals Shanahan’s true mentality in direction of the upcoming 2026 season, as they’re trying to maximize their potential for the upcoming season. However Cowherd pointed to a group that just lately took that method and noticed it chew them.
“Final 12 months, keep in mind when Washington fell off a cliff, one of many issues was … that each one the previous guys obtained damage,” Cowherd mentioned. “When previous guys get damage, it takes longer to get better. Mike Evans is an effective crimson zone goal, however Kittle, Evans, McCaffrey and Trent, I really feel like, guys, you are getting actually previous.”
