The 49ers have to make a decision about Jauan Jennings and his roster spot, given the current state of the WR room.
It was always strange when Jauan Jennings asked for a contract extension the year after signing one. That’s not typically how teams do business. It’s certainly not how the San Francisco 49ers operate.
He likely feels slighted after being robbed of a 1,000-yard season. Jennings’ base salary is $1.17 million in 2025. When you add his signing and option bonuses to the base salary, Jennings is guaranteed $3.27 million this year. Jennings is making Trent Sherfield and Skyy Moore money. I wouldn’t be in a rush to return, either.
If you look at it from the 49ers’ perspective, they see 965 receiving yards during the three years, not 975 in what was essentially a lost season. Jennings couldn’t have landed in better circumstances last season, and he benefited. But we have evidence of what Jennings’ production looks like when San Francisco has a relatively healthy offense, and Jennings is generally fourth or fifth on the pecking order.
We’re also talking about a former seventh-rounder without any elite physical traits. Ricky Pearsall has speed. Brandon Aiyuk can stop, start, and create separation with anybody in the league. Deebo Samuel was a bowling ball that would bounce off tackles with open-field acceleration. Can you highlight Jennings’ top-tier trait?
Jennings has come a long way since being cut back in August 2020. He re-signed to the practice squad after clearing waivers the next day. Still, the fact that the team was willing to risk losing Jennings, at the time, says a lot.
Of course, that was before “Third and Jauan” was a thing. There weren’t highlights of Jennings blocking defenders five yards into the sideline. Jennings has value. Determining his valuation appears to be the point of contention between both sides.
According to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, Jennings could land on the Injured Reserve list this week. That would mean Jennings misses at least four games.
Jennings has a calf injury, so the team could claim that his calf didn’t heal in time for Week 1, but it would feel like a way for the 49ers to tell Jennings, “We don’t need you,” without saying that to his face. Think about it, outside of Ricky Pearsall, Brock Purdy has no rapport with any of the receivers he’ll throw to in Week 1. We know Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle will do a lot of the heavy lifting, alongside Pearsall, but a Jennings-less wide receiver core for four weeks would be rough, given the current state of the Niners receiver room.
Financially, Jennings would miss out on a $750,000 per-game roster bonus in his contract, per Spotrac. Here are the other escalators in Jennings’ contract:
50% Snaps: $1.5m
60 Receptions: $666,667
600 Receiving Yards: $666,666
6 Touchdowns: $666,667
Is this a negotiation tactic by the Niners? Jennings can decide to play hardball, but he knows how difficult these numbers would be to obtain if he misses the first month of the season. By the time he returns from the IR, it’d be a few weeks away from Brandon Aiyuk coming off the Injured Reserve.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say the $100 million wideout will be peppered targets and treated more favorably than the one whose deal is up after this season.
The 49ers could use the extra roster spot if Jennings goes on the Injured Reserve. It doesn’t have to be a wide receiver, but there should be options out there as the week goes on and cuts continue to trickle in. Shanahan has been vocal about needing practice time ahead of the game. Jennings’ lack of practice and being in football shape could play a hand in their decision.
Who will blink first?
Category: General Sports
