The Kansas City Chiefs wanted to sign wide receiver Jauan Jennings during the offseason, and now the Minnesota Vikings have confirmed interest in trading him roughly halfway through his one-year, $8 million deal.
Minnesota was on the one-yard line of a deal to send Jennings back to the San Francisco 49ers this week before the agreement fell through. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported the details on Sunday morning, November 1.
“Glazer reports that the Vikings and 49ers had a deal in place that would have resulted in Jennings being traded to San Francisco, where he had spent his entire career before signing with the Vikings,” according to Pro Football Talk. “But the deal, per Glazer, was contingent on Jennings getting on a Zoom call with coach Kyle Shanahan and [general manager] John Lynch. Jennings passed. He decided to stay in Minnesota.”
Jauan Jennings Remains Strong Trade Candidate, Even After 49ers Deal Falls Through
Jennings does not have a no-trade clause, which points to potential issues between the wideout and his former team/49ers leadership. But whatever the reason, Jennings remains in Minnesota ahead of the November 10 trade deadline.
That doesn’t mean, however, that a new trade isn’t coming. The Chiefs make sense as a landing spot for Jennings, who presumably would be interested in going somewhere that he doesn’t have a complicated history, as he does in San Francisco.
Minnesota and Jennings have never really proven a fit, as the wideout had tallied just four catches for 43 yards on eight targets in five games played (two starts) entering the team’s contest against the Lions on Sunday. As of the middle of the third quarter in Detroit, Jennings had not tallied a catch or a target.
The Vikings’ offense has struggled mightily to move the football through the air, as even superstar Justin Jefferson is having the worst start to a season in his illustrious career with Kyler Murray as the primary QB. And while opportunities haven’t been there for Jennings in Minnesota, the exact opposite should be true for Jennings if he lands in Kansas City.
Jauan Jennings Makes Sense for Chiefs Alongside Possible Tyreek Hill Signing
The Chiefs desperately need to add another pass-catcher, and Jennings makes sense in a couple of ways.
First, he is a big, physical possession receiver (6’3″ and 212 pounds) with a nose for the first-down marker and the goal line. Second, Jennings is among the league’s best blockers on the outside and can play both in the slot and on the edge, adding versatility to his skill set.
Jennings can’t take the top off of a defense, and Mahomes needs a speedy deep threat to fill in for the absent Tyquan Thornton who is out for most of the rest of the season with a dislocated ankle. However, if the Chiefs signed a player like Tyreek Hill out of free agency, which they have discussed, then adding Jennings would round out the room nicely.
Rashee Rice is also going to be back sooner than later after missing the past three weeks with a hamstring injury.
Chiefs Get Good News on $8 Million WR Ahead of Trade Deadline