There doesn’t appear to be any closure coming soon on Jauan Jennings’s contract situation.
The SF Standard’s Tim Kawakami on Thursday joined Willard and Dibs on 95.7 the Game in San Francisco and explained that a large gap remains between Jennings and the San Francisco 49ers, with Jennings pursuing a contract north of $20 million annually.
“What you hear, not from his camp but from NFL circles, is that it’s high,” Kawakami said. “It’s above 20 is what I’ve heard. And maybe a lot above 20 per year to put him in the top 20 or so of receivers. In that realm.”
It’s easy to see why nothing has gotten done on the contract front if that’s the contract Jennings is seeking. His current deal is worth just over $7.5 million annually and expires at the end of this season. Jennings requested a new contract or a trade earlier in the offseason, but there’s no reported movement on a contract and general manager John Lynch firmly stated the 49ers aren’t trading their leading receiver from last season.
Jennings is right to seek a higher-value contract after posting career-highs in receptions (77), receiving yards (975) and touchdown receptions (six) last season as the 49ers’ No. 1 WR. He’s entering this year primed for a similar role. Playing on a $7.5 million deal would be playing for well below his value. However, his value will fluctuate based on the health of the players around him and there’s a world where he falls back into a WR3 role at some point this season after Brandon Aiyuk returns.
Perhaps the 49ers would have been more willing to play ball on a contract if Jennings was asking for something in the $12-$15 million range annually. Instead, it sounds like he’s seeking a monster deal that San Francisco was never going to realistically approach.
Jennings has been dealing with a calf injury and his participation in the season opener is still up in the air. If he’s waiting until he gets a new contract before playing, he may not see the field this season.
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