San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings has been floated as a possible trade candidate ahead of the deadline.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler kicked off the trade speculation in his weekly buzz article by naming Jennings as a player to watch with the deadline rapidly approaching.
“Much is made of Jakobi Meyers’ trade prospects out of Las Vegas, but let’s not forget about San Francisco’s Jauan Jennings, who also asked for a trade in the offseason over the lack of a new deal,” Fowler wrote. “Despite nearly 1,000 yards in 2024, Jennings is off to a slower start this season, ranking fifth on the 49ers in receiving (212). Both sides could use a fresh start.”
As Fowler mentions, Jennings was disgruntled during the offseason after he didn’t get a contract extension, which leaves him in a contract year.
When asked about the possibility of trading Jennings, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he’d be “very surprised” to see that happen, according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.
Shanahan went on to add that Jennings has been “compromised” by injuries but believes the veteran wideout is starting to round into form.
Jennings is indeed in the midst of a down season. He has just 18 catches for 212 yards and one touchdown in six games, which is even more shocking when you consider the Niners have been short-handed at wide receiver all season long.
Jennings did have his second-best game of the season in Week 8 with four catches for 45 yards.
Jennings admitted that he’s playing through a litany of injuries, including five broken ribs and ankle sprains, so that might explain his lackluster production.
“Playing with injuries, it’s part of it,” Jennings said after Week 6. “You got high and low ankle sprains. You got shoulders at 20%. You got five broken ribs. It is what it is. You keep playing. Nobody cares. You keep playing. That’s what we do.”
The fact of the matter is, the Niners simply can’t afford to trade Jennings, even if they wanted to.
Ricky Pearsall has missed four games in a row and still isn’t practicing Wednesday, and Brandon Aiyuk remains on the PUP list and there’s no telling when he’ll be back.
If anything, the Niners could use another wide receiver, so subtracting one wouldn’t make any sense.
