Mike Evans delivered an all-time diss of Trevon Diggs. Or did he? ‘I honestly didn’t know it was him’
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- Mike Evans’ sideline exchange with Seahawks cornerback Trevon Diggs went viral after the 49ers receiver turned Diggs around to check his name.
- Evans said he didn’t recognize Diggs under his helmet and meant no slight — though calling him a “good player” in the past tense may have kept the trash talk alive.
San Francisco 49ers receiver Mike Evans may have earned a spot in the trash-talking hall of fame on Sunday without even trying.
Or so he says.
Late in the second quarter of the 49ers’ 32-29 victory in Seattle, Fox Sports cameras showed Evans and Seahawks cornerback Trevon Diggs jawing after a play. In one of the season’s most meme-able moments so far, Evans put his hands on Diggs’ shoulder pads and turned the two-time Pro Bowl selection around to look at his name, as if to say, “Who are you?”
Washington blew a chance to beat the Giants in overtime when Jayden Daniels was tackled as time expired. Commanders co-owner Magic Johnson expressed consternation.
Diggs, a seven-year veteran who led the league with 11 interceptions in 2021 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, appeared to be offended and shoved Evans in the face mask.
Retired cornerback and renowned trash-talker Richard Sherman, who played for both the Seahawks and 49ers during his 11-year career, gave Evans some high praise on X.
“Mike Evans Checking to see the name on the back of the Jersey is an all-time Gif and trash talk moment that I wish I would have thought of,” Sherman wrote.
The Chargers’ Justin Herbert fumbles the ball and throws an interception in the fourth quarter of a 23-17 loss to the Denver Broncos that drops them to 0-5.
Evans’ move was very similar to one from a 2019 viral clip in which Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews checked the back of then-career minor leaguer Scott Sabourin of the Ottawa Senators during a preseason game. (Sabourin would go on to play in 74 NHL games for four teams over seven seasons.)
But Evans, a six-time Pro Bowl player in his first season with San Francisco after 12 years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, told reporters after the game that he was just trying to figure out his vocal opponent‘s identity.
“I was blocking him until the whistle, and then he said something, like I’m doing extra, something like that,” said Evans, who finished with seven catches for 113 yards and one touchdown. “I didn’t know that was him at first, because I played against him a few times and we always been cool, you know? He was a good player. I honestly didn’t know it was him, because in the helmet, it’s hard to tell sometimes.
The Rams know stopping Josh Allen will be a priority after the Buffalo Bills quarterback accounted for six touchdowns against them in 2024.
“And we were just talking trash, and I think I like pushed him and then I was like, ‘Who are you?’ And I looked to make sure. ‘Oh, it’s ... Diggs.’”
Hmmmm, Diggs was a good player? Maybe Evans is a trash-talking master after all.
