Bringing back Jauan Jennings in free agency was never a real option for the San Francisco 49ers. They made that decision to let him walk before the 2025 season.
From the very moment they refused to offer him a contract extension, his fate with the 49ers was sealed. Even if the 49ers did have a change of heart, the cost to re-sign Jennings would be higher.
Anytime a player hits free agency, their value significantly increases with other teams bidding for that player's services. Unfortunately for Jennings, he never got that.
In fact, he is still an available free agent, which is insane to see. Pro Football Focus had Jennings ranked as the No. 25 best free agent to sign before it started.
He was supposed to be signed to a new team by now and had received a fairly sweet deal. But that sweet deal is never coming with free agency at its end.
Why Jennings is still available
Jauan Jenning
Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) scores a touchdown against Tennessee Titans safety Amani Hooker (37) during the third quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
The fact that Jennings is still available likely means his asking price from teams was too high. And if it was too high, it's because no team views him as an impactful player.
That could mean Jennings is viewed more as a proponent of playing in Kyle Shanahan's offense. It's not a far-fetched idea. Jennings doesn't necessarily have any great traits.
He's not fast, his route-running isn't clean, and he's not as good as he should be at winning possession throws given his physique. Still, he's a solid receiver, but not worth close to the $20 million annual salary he probably was looking for.
All of the teams across the league are essentially telling him he's not that good a player. Otherwise, if he were, he would've been signed by now.
I had imagined the Las Vegas Raiders or the Tennessee Titans would go after him. They had ample salary cap space and desperately needed to boost their wide receiver position.
Instead, the Raiders cashed out Jalen Nailor, and the Titans cashed out Wan'Dale Robinson. This has to sting Jennings' ego. It's a reality check for him, and it makes sense why he wanted an extension from the 49ers before the 2025 season.
He needed to act upon his impressive 2024 season, knowing full well he was never touching those numbers (77 catches, 975 yards, six touchdowns) again.
At this point, Jennings will need to settle for a one-year deal with incentives. The league doesn't view him as a necessary talent, so he has to take a cheap deal to change everyone's minds for free agency in 2027.
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