Jauan Jennings of the San Francisco 49ers
Getty
Jauan Jennings of the San Francisco 49ers
T
he NFL Draft is fast approaching, and all 32 teams are ready to find their next young superstar among the league’s fresh crop of rookies. But while the draft becomes the sole focus for teams over these next few weeks, several big name players remain unsigned, hoping to prove that they deserve a sizable payday from a needy team. Among those unsigned players is San Francisco 49ers wide receiver, Jauan Jennings— entering free agency for the first time in his career after last season. Hungry for a big contract, Jennings’ free agent market has instead been quiet, remaining unsigned after the 49ers solidified their wide receiver room with the additions of Mike Evans and Christian Kirk.
And as time goes on, it is becoming increasingly unlikely that Jennings gets that big contract he is seeking, with most teams shifting gears from free agency to the draft, doing their homework on which incoming rookies are the best fit for their team. Time is ticking for Jennings to find a home and while contract money is a factor in his lengthy free agency, one anonymous NFL coach provided his blunt take on why Jennings is still unsigned ahead of the 2026 season.
Jennings Outplayed His Talent
A seventh round draft pick in 2020, Jennings has surpassed expectations to start his career. Not much was expected out of him in the NFL coming out of college but since joining the 49ers, Jennings has become a fixture on offense– putting together a career year in 2024 where he caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns. Still, Jennings wants to be paid like a top receiver in the NFL even though he has never made a Pro Bowl or had a 1,000 season. But according to the anonymous NFL coach, it is very possible that we have seen the best of Jennings already.
“He’s outplayed his talent,” the coach said via The Athletic in an article by Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur.
Over the course of his career, Jennings has been a top No. 3 receiver and a very strong No. 2 receiver, but has never played like a No. 1 pass catching option, even in his strong 2024 season. And the amount of money he is asking for appears to be scaring teams off and preventing him from being the sought after player everyone thought he would be.
Jennings’ Career Thus Far
After the 49ers drafted him in the seventh round of the 2020 draft, it took time for Jennings to become the star he has been over the last couple of years. A practice squad player his entire rookie season, Jennings did not see any field time during the 2020 season and made his NFL debut in 2021– where he played in 16 games and caught 24 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns.
Showing flashes of stardom during that ’21 campaign, Jennings improved in 2022, catching a then career high of 35 passes for 416 yards and a touchdown. After seeing limited action in 2023, Jennings broke out in 2024 and came into 2025 as the 49ers’ expected No. 1 receiver. However, even though he led the team in receiving, injuries and other issues prevented Jennings from replicating his success from ’24– finishing the final season of his contract with 55 catches for 643 yards and nine touchdowns.