Mike Evans has spent his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he departed for the San Francisco 49ers during the 2026 NFL offseason. A theory was recently suggested that his exit is similar to when Warren Sapp left the franchise. The Hall of Fame defensive lineman disagreed by issuing a fiery response.
Warren Sapp Rejects Theory Comparing His Buccaneers Exit to Mike Evans’ Departure
Evans has put together an iconic career with the Buccaneers as one of the most consistently productive wide receivers in NFL history. The franchise legend will play for a different team for the first time this year after signing with the 49ers as a free agent.
Jon Miles recently speculated that Evans’ decision to leave Tampa Bay was likely influenced by allegedly not receiving enough support from the Buccaneers fan base. He explained that their home stadium is often taken over by the away team’s fans and even suggested that this is why Sapp also left the team later in his career. The Hall of Famer replied to his theory with strong opposition.
“Leave me out of this! My leaving had nothing to do with attendance! Relax with throwing names around! Relax, Chucky doll as an avatar fella,” exclaimed Sapp.
Leave me Outta this! My leaving had nothing to do with attendance!! Relax throwing names around!! RELAX Chucky doll as avatar fella
— Warren Sapp (@WarrenSapp) March 20, 2026
Miles described that John Lynch, who was on the same Buccaneers roster with Sapp when they won a Super Bowl, is another example of an apparently disgruntled franchise legend who departed due to a lack of fan support. Sapp clearly disagrees with the idea that highlighted home game attendance as a key factor.
“Stop allowing away fan bases to take over our stadium. It feels like a home game for the visitors because there are more away fans who travel to Tampa. It’s your dmn fault as a city as a whole … You wonder why players like Lynch and Sapp left … it’s because they were pushed the fck out of the door and y’all did the same thing to Evans,” stated Miles.
Miles’ post included an Evans press conference in which he praised the 49ers fans for how they support the team at their home stadium. He didn’t have anything negative to say about Buccaneers fans, but this is likely where Miles’ theory comes from, suggesting it was a backhanded shot at Tampa Bay.
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Regardless of the reasons why he left, San Francisco landed a massive upgrade to its wide receivers at a time when it desperately needed reinforcements.
He finished just 65th at his position in PFSN’s Impact Rankings last year, but this was mostly due to injuries, as he ranked among the top 20 in each of his two seasons prior.
