After six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Jauan Jennings has moved on, signing a one-year contract worth up to $13 million on May 7 with the Minnesota Vikings, per ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
The former Niners wideout bet on himself that his 2025 NFL season would lead to a more lucrative this offseason. However, that didn’t materialize.
As a result, Jennings is hoping that playing as a WR3 behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison will allow him to land a better contract next offseason. Nonetheless, 49ers on SI’s Grant Cohn believes that the Niners should’ve done more to keep Jennings at the price the Vikings are paying him.
“I got two instant takeaways from this news,” Cohn said in a May 7 video on his YouTube channel. “One is that Jauan Jennings played himself. According to Matt Maiocco, the 49ers offered him $17 million per year, presumably on a three-year deal. Last year, he said no and bet on himself, but that bet didn’t work out.
“Instead, he ended up signing a one-year deal worth up to $13 million with the Minnesota Vikings. That has to be a rough way to get $13 million. From the 49ers’ perspective, I wouldn’t have given him $17 million because that was a lot, but at one year and $13 million, they probably should have re-signed him.”
49er Would Have Been Better Off With Jauan Jennings
Moreover, Cohn noted that if the 49ers had brought Jennings back, it would have been better than signing Mike Evans or Christian Kirk as San Francisco went the veteran route to bolster their wideout group.
“Mike Evans was more expensive than that, and he’s almost 33 years old,” Cohn added. “He may have nothing left. Jauan Jennings does have something left. He’s a good addition to the Vikings, and he would have been in the Niners’ price range.
“They have more than $71 million in cap space, and they replaced him with a 33-year-old who’s cheaper than him and Christian Kirk, who’s super-duper extra washed. So, it’s a tough day for Jauan Jennings, but also a tough day for the 49ers, who may or may not have replaced Jauan Jennings and really didn’t have to let him go.”
George Kittle Urged to Be Cautious Over Injury Return
Speaking of pass catchers for the 49ers, Brock Purdy has veteran wideouts Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, along with Ricky Pearsall. However, the other pass catcher in the mix will be George Kittle, who is working his way back from a torn Achilles.
As a result, former NFL wide receiver Cris Carter is urging Kittle to be cautious on his return from his Achilles tear.
“Kittle is a beast, man; one of the hardest workers,” Carter said on the May 4 edition of the “Fully Loaded Podcast.” “He’s doing everything too from preparation, hydration, sleep, the active recovery stuff. Like, he is truly one of the hardest workers that we have in the game, one of the faces of the game…
“But in Achilles, these surgeries, the guys are coming back a lot quicker than they were in previous years… He will come back as a great athlete, but be careful, because you only have a few more training stops in your career. Don’t be in a rush to return.”
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