San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, due to make $7.5 million this season, is seeking a new contract or a trade, according to a league source.
Jennings is expected to report to training camp next week, even without a contract extension, the source said. Jennings, 28, is in the final season of a two-year extension he signed in 2024 when he was pegged to be the team’s No. 3 receiver behind Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. Instead, he led all 49ers receivers with a career-high 77 catches, 975 yards and six touchdowns.
Jennings is in a massive position of strength considering the 49ers’ situation at wideout. Aiyuk, one of their top receivers in recent years, is recovering from an ACL tear last October, and Samuel now plays for the Washington Commanders. ESPN was first to report Jennings’ desire for a new contract or a trade.
Meanwhile, newcomer Demarcus Robinson is facing a possible suspension related to last year’s DUI arrest in Southern California. Last week, Robinson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge and was sentenced to three years’ probation.
That leaves Jennings as quarterback Brock Purdy’s top wide receiver target when the regular season begins, a role he handled well last year. Tight end George Kittle, who received a new contract in the spring, led the team in receiving with 1,106 yards and eight touchdowns. The other top wideouts on the team are largely unproven. They include 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing and rookie Jordan Watkins.
The Niners’ goal was a drama-free offseason after last year’s contract-fueled drama involving Aiyuk and Trent Williams. This year, the 49ers made sure to get big-ticket contracts for Purdy, Kittle and Fred Warner out of the way early so the summer session would be all about practice and performance. Jennings’ situation threatens to upend that plan.
He watched Samuel (in 2022) and Aiyuk (last summer) demand trades, sit out practices and otherwise make themselves conspicuous to get new deals. It’s worth noting that Jennings doesn’t plan to hold out while he seeks a new deal or a trade. Aiyuk didn’t either. He conducted a hold-in last summer that proved even more distracting than if he’d been absent.
All of which is to say, Samuel and Aiyuk created an effective playbook for their fellow wideout: The squeakiest wheel gets the new contract.
(Photo: Darren Yamashita / Imagn Images)
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