The San Francisco 49ers secured the signature of Mike Evans in free agency on Thursday, and George Kittle played a crucial role in that. The seven-time Pro Bowl tight end convinced the veteran wide receiver to sign for the team after his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended

Kittle shed light on his intriguing behind-the-scenes recruiting effort in bringing Evans to the 49ers on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast on Tuesday. He delivered a persuasive pitch that was centered on the mode of operation, convincing the wideout to reach a deal with the 49ers.

“I think one of the biggest things I said is that the Niners organization puts so much money back into the players,” Kittle said. “And how they take care of us, how we travel, how our facility is run. …

“Our kitchen’s open all the time. We have a nutritionist that’s full time. There’s teams that have a part-time nutritionist. How does that make sense? And then the way we travel, all the starters, we have 30 lay-down beds for all the starters and people that are over 6-foot-4. So they can travel comfortably.”

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Following his famed tenure with the Bucs, where he recorded 1,000+ passing yards in all but one of his 12 seasons, Mike Evans was highly sought-after in the free agent market. George Kittle’s effort undoubtedly played a role in the 49ers’ eventual success in signing him.

George Kittle discloses one other thing he told Mike Evans about the 49ers

Aside from how the team is being operated, one other thing that was on George Kittle’s pitch to Mike Evans was the team’s culture. The tight end explained the kind of environment the current players have built in the locker room, which is crucial to the success of a team.

“I kind of just told him about the organization,” Kittle said. “Also, we have a fantastic culture. You’ve probably played on teams before, they were like, I couldn’t stand like 10 guys on the team.

“In the last five years, there’s maybe like one guy, I’m like, ‘Ah, he’s not my favorite, but I don’t hate him.’ So, we have a great culture that was built by the players that are still there. And, I don’t know, we hit people really hard in the face and we play really well.”

Without a doubt, the great team culture that exists within the 49ers has been evident in their success on the field over the years. Aside from becoming another great option for Brock Purdy, Mike Evans is set to play a role, alongside George Kittle and other veterans in the locker room, in augmenting the culture.