Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jauan Jennings became a household name earlier this month thanks to his big performance in Super Bowl LVIII.
Jennings, who has spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers, passed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown in Super Bowl LVIII. He also had a key third down reception and drew an important holding penalty that extended the 49ers' first drive of overtime.
The 49ers weren't able to get the win against the Chiefs, but Jennings still showed up in a big way in the biggest game of his life.
And Jennings' breakout game couldn't have come at a better time. The former Vol is set to be a restricted free agent when the new league year begins in March. That means the 49ers have a couple of options when it comes to how they handle Jennings' contract this offseason. They could non-tender him, which would make the former Vol an unrestricted free agent (no chance the 49ers do that). They could place a right-of-first-refusal tender on Jennings, which gives the 49ers a chance to match any offer the wide receiver receives. Or they can place a first or second round tender on Jennings, which would mean any team that signs Jennings would have to give up a first or second round draft pick (those various tenders come with various one-year salaries that are already set).
Basically, the 49ers can match any offer that Jennings receives from another team if they choose. And they could also give Jennings a contract extension and avoid restricted free agency altogether.
49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday that the team is trying to keep Jennings via either one of the restricted free agent tenders mentioned above or via a contract extension.
I would bet on an extension happening. Otherwise, it seems like the 49ers will place the second round tender on Jennings. That would protect them against losing the former Tennessee standout to a team that is willing to throw a little more cash at Jennings in free agency. It seems unlikely that any team would be willing to bid that high while also giving up a second round pick. A second round tender on Jennings would cost the 49ers $6.8 million in 2024 (if they don't work out an extension).
Essentially, it's highly likely that Jennings is back in San Francisco in 2024. The 49ers clearly don't want to let him leave town. And the team has the leverage to keep Jennings in San Francisco for at least the 2024 season.
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