Jauan Jennings' apparent stance over San Francisco 49ers contract status vindicated by NFL analyst

It hasn't been definitively confirmed why Jauan Jennings isn't at San Francisco 49ers OTAs. Kyle Shanahan offered no clarity when asked about his absence, but it can be safely assumed it concerns dissatisfaction with his contract status.

The wide receiver has yet to sign his second-round restricted free agent tender, which would pay him $4.89 million. Jennings cannot sign with any other team.

San Francisco general manager John Lynch has previously made it clear the 49ers do not wish to lose Jennings next offseason, when he is scheduled to enter unrestricted free agent, and want to sign him to a long-term extension.

If the 49ers have had talks with Jennings and his representatives to that end, his decision not to show up at OTAs would appear to suggest any offers have not made him feel properly appreciated.

Jennings proved his worth the 49ers' Super Bowl 58 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, throwing a touchdown pass and then scoring a receiving touchdown in the overtime thriller.

And, in his look at the projected starters for the NFC West for NFL.com, analyst Gregg Rosenthal offered a view of the 49ers' receiver situation that supports Jennings' apparent decision to hold out in search of a better contract.

Wrote Rosenthal: "In performing this exercise, the instinct is to immediately insert first-round picks like Ricky Pearsall into the starting lineup. The 49ers drafted him high for a reason, but Jauan Jennings is too good in his role to summarily displace. Pearsall feels more like a potential injury replacement who will have a bigger impact in 2025."

The 49ers' pick of Pearsall with the 31st overall selection took many by surprise, not just because of the presence of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel on San Francisco's receiver depth chart but because of Jennings' increasing importance to quarterback Brock Purdy.

Jennings only had 265 yards receiving in the 2023 regular season, but the playoffs showed him to be a player with the potential to do much greater damage. Indeed, he demonstrated that he can be more than a valuable role player who excels as a third-down target and in the blocking game, racking up 111 receiving yards over the course of the three postseason games.

Per Sports Info Solutions, his Expected Points Added per target of 0.66 was the third-highest among wideouts with at least 10 targets in the postseason, efficiency numbers that, as Rosenthal states, should not make him difficult to dislodge as the third wide receiver.

Pearsall's addition gives the 49ers a separator who excels at beating man coverage, something San Francisco's receivers struggled with in the Super Bowl. His skill set would appear to put him in a good position to quickly claim a defined role within the 49er passing game and take snaps away from Jennings. 

But Jennings and his reps can point to his performance in the Super Bowl — in which his average of 2.6 yards of separation was superior to Samuel and just shy of that of Aiyuk (2.7), per NextGen Stats — and the size element and contested-catch upside he brings as reason for the 49ers to value him highly despite spending two picks on receivers in the draft.

Given Jennings would not receive an accrued season if he elected not to sign his tender and skip the 2024 campaign, he has no leverage over the 49ers. But he and his agents can highlight his postseason numbers and analysis like Rosenthal's as justification for whatever contract demands he may have. Aiyuk's contract extension is the priority for the Niners, but Jennings will be hoping they soon decide to properly recognize his underrated significance to the NFL's premier offense.