Jauan Jennings
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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
One of the biggest mysteries of the offseason for the Washington Commanders has been how they might improve their offense in any meaningful way, which starts with finding better skill players to place around star quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The most rote school of thought has the Commanders doing that in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL draft, where they should have their pick of the draft’s best wide receivers with the No. 7 overall pick, and likely means either Ohio State’s Carnell Tate or USC’s Makai Lemon.
The problem? The Commanders have so many holes to fill on both sides of the ball that taking a wide receiver might be a tad indulgent when they could draft a player who could solidify their defense for the next decade — someone like Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
That would leave the wide receiver position still needing to be addressed, which the Commanders could do by solving 1 of the NFL’s other biggest mysteries of the offseason.
Commanders Should Sign WR Jauan Jennings
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings seemed primed to cash in this offseason in free agency — projected to sign a 3-year, $67.3 million contract that never materialized.
Jennings is who the Commanders need to go after in free agency and could now likely land him for a song, comparatively, which could mean a 1-year, $15 million contract and getting him in a prove-it year.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen has Jennings ranked as the No. 1 free agent still available as of April 8.
“At 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, Jennings is a consistent route runner who plays through contact and makes himself available to the quarterback on in-breaking targets,” Bowen wrote. “He caught 55 passes last season for an injury-riddled 49ers unit, scoring nine touchdowns. Jennings was even better in 2024, when he ranked 12th in ESPN’s receiver scores and had 975 receiving yards.”
Jennings requested that the 49ers trade him before the 2025 season and the franchise went out and signed his replacement on the 1st day of the free agency cycle, bringing in veteran Mike Evans on a 3-year, $42.5 million contract.
Jauan Jennings Not Well Liked in NFL Circles
One thing that needs to be taken into account with Jennings, if a team is contemplating bringing him into their locker room, is that he’s not very well-liked in NFL circles.
You might even say he’s downright hated, which makes it all the more ironic that the 49ers went out and signed Evans, which meant replacing 1 of the NFL’s most hated players with 1 of its most beloved players.
“Around the rest of the league, he’s one of the least popular players,” Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn wrote in December 2025. “And that’s because of his mouth. He talks a ton of trash. He also starts fights by blocking defensive backs so violently that he pushes them off the field. But his mouth is the reason he got punched in the groin two weeks ago when the 49ers faced the Panthers. And his mouth is the reason Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris was so upset with Jennings last Sunday in Cleveland.”