Report: 49ers continue working on long-term deal for Jauan Jennings

The San Francisco 49ers made headlines Wednesday night when ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the team reworked wide receiver Jauan Jennings' contract. The updated deal adds $3 million in play-time incentives, raising his potential 2025 earnings to $10.5 million. Despite the boost, Jennings remains on track to become a free agent in 2026.

On Thursday morning, general manager John Lynch joined Bay Area radio station KNBR, where he emphasized that the 49ers still hope to secure a long-term extension with Jennings.

"And the great news is Jauan has looked great out there, and he's ready to go, and he kept himself in really good shape," Lynch said. "Is there going to be a little rust? Hopefully not. He's played a lot of football for us, and his energy out there is palpable. We feel it. We're going to continue to try to work on a long-term deal, but right now we've got something, a solution, that works for everybody for the short term, and that's a good thing for the Niners."

Lynch confirmed that contract extension talks were part of the process, and the team will continue to seek a mutually beneficial long-term deal.

"Obviously, we couldn't come to an agreement on that right now, but that's not to say that's gone," Lynch explained. "Some teams do have the policy, once you hit the season, they put all contracts away. That's not something we've done. We are going to kind of focus on going and beating Seattle right now, but we'll continue to try to work towards that. We've said it many times, we love J.J., we love his presence on this team, and we want to keep him around here for a while."

Jennings returned to practice this week, just in time for the 49ers' Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. The veteran receiver had been sidelined with a calf injury that kept him out of most of training camp and the entire preseason. Some speculated the setback was related to his contract situation, a notion Lynch has consistently pushed back on.

"I want to commend Jauan," Lynch said. "I think the way he took care of his business, both getting healthy and his want for a new contract, he handled it in a good way. One thing I do pride myself—we talked about strategic transparency—we're pretty transparent people. When I say stuff, I usually mean it. And when I was saying that those things don't have to be mutually exclusive—Jauan did battle a calf injury, and he did want a new contract, and both things seemed to get right, right at the right time. So, that's a good thing for us."

Jennings is coming off the best season of his NFL career. In 2024, he caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns, establishing himself as a reliable weapon in San Francisco's passing attack. He now enters the final year of the two-year contract he signed in 2024.