A personal exchange between wide receiver Mike Evans and cornerback Trevon Diggs became a talking point during San Francisco's 32-29 win over Seattle in Week 5.
Evans confronted Diggs after a play, and the moment drew attention across the NFL community.
According to CBS Sports, Evans was blocking Diggs when the play ended and the two began exchanging words.
Evans grabbed the Seahawks cornerback by the shoulders and turned him around to check the name on the back of his jersey.
He later explained that he had not immediately recognized his opponent.
Evans explains the jersey check
Evans said the exchange began after Diggs appeared to accuse him of doing too much during the play.
The receiver acknowledged pushing Diggs before identifying him, and he argued that Diggs' subsequent push should have resulted in a penalty.
"I was blocking him until the whistle. He said something like I'm doing extra, or something like that.
I didn't know that was him at first," Evans said.
"I played against him a few times, and we've always been cool. He was a good player.
I honestly didn't know it was him, because in the helmet, it's hard to tell sometimes."
"We were talking trash, and I think I pushed him. I was like, 'Who are you?'
I looked to make sure. I was like, 'Oh, it's f---ing Diggs.'
Then he pushed me. Should've been a penalty."
The two players had faced each other three times while representing their previous teams, according to CBS Sports.
Evans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated Diggs and the Dallas Cowboys during the 2021 and 2022 regular seasons, before Dallas won their meeting in an NFC Wild Card game in January 2023.
Diggs previously established himself as one of the NFL's leading defensive players during his time with Dallas.
In 2021, he led the league in interceptions, earned first-team All-Pro honors and received the first of his two Pro Bowl selections.
He followed that performance with another strong season in 2022 and signed a five-year, $97 million contract extension with the Cowboys.
His career subsequently became more challenging as injuries affected his progress.
Diggs moved from Dallas to the Green Bay Packers before joining Seattle, which elevated him from its practice squad for the Week 5 game against San Francisco.
San Francisco offensive tackle Trent Williams also commented on Evans' competitive approach, describing the receiver's intensity as a distinctive part of his game.
Williams spoke to CBS Sports Bay Area after the incident attracted attention.
"Mike plays with an edge," Williams said.
"He plays with a huge edge. Something that you wouldn't expect a receiver to have.
But that was pretty funny."
