Why 49ers WR Jauan Jennings Abruptly Ended his Unsuccessful Holdout

Good news for the 49ers.

Jauan Jennings unexpectedly practiced on Monday for the first time since July. He has been sitting out with a supposed calf injury while also demanding an extension or a trade. Turns out, he got neither, and his calf seems fine. Which means the 49ers should win Week 1 in Seattle against the Seahawks.

But why did Jennings end his holdout so abruptly?

Why Jennings' holdout was unsuccessful

Jennings thought he had leverage, but he didn't. The 49ers aren't going to re-sign him after this season, meaning he's not in their future plans. And by the end of the year, after Brandon Aiyuk and Demarcus Robinson come back, Jennings could be third or fourth on the wide receiver depth chart.

Jennings tried to leverage the 49ers' lack of wide receivers for the early part of the season. Robinson is suspended for the first three games, and Aiyuk will miss at least the first four games because he's on the PUP List, so the only true starting wide receiver the 49ers have other than Jennings right now is Ricky Pearsall. If the 49ers had to start Russell Gage opposite Pearsall, they just might lose their season opener to the Seahawks.

But the 49ers were scheduled to host free agent wide receiver Kendrick Bourne at their facility today. So if Jennings didn't show up for practice, there was a good chance the 49ers would have signed Bourne to fill in for Jennings as long as he continued to hold out.

Is Jennings better than Bourne? Yes, of course. But Bourne is much cheaper than Jennings and eager to play right away. And the 49ers are in Super-Bowl-or-bust mode. They could get by with Bourne in the starting lineup for a few weeks while they see how good the rest of their team is.

So, Jennings showed up today. His other option was to sit out all season with a fake calf injury and try to explain that decision to teams next season when he hits free agency. He took the safest option.

For Jennings' sake, I sincerely got a pay raise or some stock options or a gift certificate -- something. Because holding out and coming back empty-handed never is a good look.

Give Brandon Aiyuk credit. At least he knew his value, stuck to his guns and got what he wanted.

Jennings did none of those things.