San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans at Levi's Stadium on Dec. 14, 2025.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Minnesota Vikings are 6-0, and Nolan Teasley is quickly approaching his first NFL trade deadline as a general manager. Capitalizing on a strong start is a must, and adding to the roster seems like a smart move.
There may also be a path to addition by subtraction. Jauan Jennings looked like a nice add heading into the year, but he’s largely been ineffective in a Vikings offense that has struggled… and visibly frustrated throughout the process.
Rather than keep a disgruntled wide receiver around, shipping him out before the deadline makes a lot of sense. Of course, it takes two to tango, well actually three, in this case.
Jauan Jennings nixed Vikings + 49ers trade
According to NFL insider Jay Glazer today on FOX NFL Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings had a deal in place to send Jennings back to his former team, the San Francisco 49ers… but Jennings vetoed the deal because he did not want to go back to the Niners, where he spent the first six seasons of his career.
Apparently, Jennings told head coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch that he wanted to stay in Minnesota, where the wideout has been active for five of Minnesota’s six games this season.
The #49ers and #Vikings recently had a trade agreement in place for WR Jauan Jennings to return to San Francisco, but Jennings made it clear he didn’t want to go back, and the deal fell through, per @JayGlazer. https://t.co/aqCgTn5l0M
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 1, 2026
“Here’s a little scoop is that no one, no one knew: the 49ers, who already traded for DeForest Buckner, also had trade terms worked out for Jauan Jennings, their former receiver, with the Vikings. But it was contingent upon him hopping on a FaceTime with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch and saying, ‘OK, yeah, I want to come back.’ But he didn’t. He said, ‘Actually, no, I want to stay here in Minnesota.’ Vikings fans, he likes what you have going on over there. And the 49ers always talk about getting left at the altar…”
Jay Glazer – FOX NFL Sunday
Related: Insiders Clash on Vikings’ Trade Plans for Disgruntled Wide Receiver
Brandon Aiyuk signed a 4-year, $120 million extension in 2024 and hasn’t been seen since the first year of that deal. Aiyuk is talented, but he became a thorn in Kyle Shanahan’s side. San Francisco doesn’t need Jennings to be a lesser version of that.
Jennings’ underwhelming season with Vikings
Calling Jennings — who has four catches for 43 yards on the season — a non-factor is putting it lightly. He could still be traded before the Nov. 10 deadline, but he likely won’t net the MN Vikings more than cap relief and maybe a late-round pick.
Odell Beckham Jr. signed recently and has been on the practice squad. If Kevin O’Connell isn’t interested in giving Myles Price or Tai Felton an expanded role, OBJ could fill it. No matter what, the storyline to watch over the next nine days is who the Vikings add and how many of their chips they push in.