Over the past few days, the vast majority of headlines surrounding the San Francisco 49ers revolve around wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who has become this year's Brandon Aiyuk by claiming he's unhappy with his contract.
Aiyuk, of course, ultimately got his way last year and was given a four-year, $120 million extension, only to play in just seven games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, tearing both an MCL and ACL against the Kansas City Chiefs.
As a result, Jennings stepped up and had the best year of his young career, easily setting personal bests in targets (113), receptions (77), receiving yards (975), and touchdowns (six). As a result, he now wants a lucrative extension of his own.
And if he doesn't get it, he apparently wants to be traded.
But even if that doesn't happen, the Niners have a bit of a depth issue at wide receiver, especially given the fact that Aiyuk may miss time to start the year and the obvious absence of Deebo Samuel, who was dealt to the Washington Commanders. Thank goodness for tight end George Kittle, right?
As such, when opining on one trade every NFL team needs to make before the start of the 2025 season, Bleacher Report's Matt Holder has suggested that San Francisco needs to make a deal to add another wideout.
"The 49ers are in an interesting spot with their wide receivers," Holder wrote. "Brandon Aiyuk will start training camp on the PUP list and may not be ready for Week 1, while Jauan Jennings recently gave the club an ultimatum for a new contract or a trade.
"That could force San Francisco to lean on the position group's depth at the beginning of the 2025 season, so adding another wideout should be on the table for John Lynch."
49ers have a few options on the table if they're looking to add a wide receiver
Holder seems to imply that Jennings is gone in this scenario, as he talks about the Niners needing to lean on depth, which, with all due respect, doesn't look all that impressive at the moment.
Second-year stud Ricky Pearsall, who bounced back from a freaking gunshot wound to the chest to notch 400 yards on 31 receptions, can be relied upon to catch balls from Brock Purdy, but it gets a bit thin from there, with the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, and Jacob Cowing currently sitting in the top three backup spots on the depth chart.
Again, even if Jennings stays put, which in this writer's humble opinion, Lynch should effectively force him to do by not giving in to his demands, San Francisco does still need to add a receiver. And there are a few options out there.
John Metchie III of the Houston Texans comes to mind, as the 2022 second-round pick is stuck behind Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, and Tank Dell, although Dell's injury issues may keep Houston from parting with Metchie. But it's worth a phone call.
Romeo Doubs of the Green Bay Packers could be an option, as he, like Metchie, is in the final year of his rookie contract and seems to be sliding down the depth chart.
The Titans' Treylon Burks and the Saints' Rashid Shaheed are riskier options, as they're in the Aiyuk boat from an injury standpoint, but both could at least be worth a look.
The overall points is that options exist, and no matter what happens with Jennings, this needs to be addressed.
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