SANTA CLARA — The 49ers’ top two wide receivers entering the 2025 NFL season opener on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks appear obvious.
After that, it’s a little more open for debate.
Receiver Jauan Jennings, who missed five weeks of practices with a calf injury, is expected to play on Sunday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday.
“He looked good on Monday, getting back into it,” Shanahan said. “Having all that time off, we got to ease him in. So we’ll see how this week goes. That’s why he’ll be limited today. He’s healthy enough to play football and hopefully that continues.”
Second-year player Ricky Pearsall was the 49ers’ top receiver throughout training camp.
Behind Jennings and Pearsall, there will be a lot of competition to round out the other three receiver spots and their roles for Week 1, Shanahan said.
The 49ers on Wednesday announced that veteran receivers Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Russell Gage swapped spots on the team. Valdes-Scantling was promoted to the 53-man roster and Gage moved to the practice squad.
“My biggest thing was making sure both were on our team, and they both are and they both have a good chance to be up and playing on Sunday,” Shanahan said.
The other receiver expected to be active for Sunday’s game is Skyy Moore, who is likely to handle the duties of returning punts and kickoffs.
Rookie receiver Jordan Watkins still is unable to practice due to a high ankle sprain. He is not expected to be in uniform to face Seattle.
The other receivers on the practice squad who could be considered to play in Week 1 are Robbie Chosen, Malik Turner and Junior Bergen.
Shanahan said the team’s receivers spots will remain fluid based on how the practices go this week.
“All these guys have been here for the last week, and they’ve all been working,” Shanahan said. “But they definitely need three more days of practice to see which ones we want to put in what roles.”
While the question whether Jennings will play in Week 1 appears to be resolved, he still has a potentially sticky contract situation hanging over his head.
Jennings returned to practice on Monday after missing five weeks of on-field workouts. He left practice on July 27 with a calf injury. It was the same calf that kept him out of a large portion of the 49ers’ offseason program.
Jennings is coming off his best season in the NFL, He started 10 of the 15 games in which he appeared and caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns in 2024.
Prior to last season, he signed a two-year, $15.3 million extension after the 49ers tendered him as a restricted free agent. If the 49ers and Jennings do not reach a contract agreement, he will become a free agent in March.
“I don’t think there’s totally a resolution,” Shanahan said. “It’s the business side. I think I said at the beginning of training camp how badly myself and everyone in this building wants Jauan back in the long term.”
The 49ers expect to add to their receivers room as the season goes on.
Brandon Aiyuk is out for at least four games while on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing knee surgery in November. He was observed running at near full speed on Wednesday as his teammates went through drills.
Veteran pickup Demarcus Robinson must serve a three-game suspension to open the season for a violation of the NFL’s policy on substances of abuse. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge stemming from a November arrest in Southern California.
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