Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jauan Jennings could have switched teams more than a week ago via a deal with his previous organization, the San Francisco 49ers.
However, the wideout nixed that idea and several days later took to social media ahead of the NFL trade deadline with a message for those questioning his usage and production.
Jennings posted the following to his Instagram account on Tuesday, November 10, per the VikingzFanPage.
“If you talking about my playing time and stats. You’re delusional and just want something to talk about. Why you acting like I can control that or some.”
“If you talking about my playing time and stats, you’re delusional and just want something to talk about,” Jennings wrote. “Why you acting like I can control that or some.”
Jauan Jennings’ Production Has Plummeted Since Joining Vikings
Jennings has appeared in six games, earning two starts, over Minnesota’s first eight contests. He missed the season opener due to a family issue, then sat out the Vikings’ “Monday Night Football” game against the Buffalo Bills on November 9 because of calf strain he suffered in practice last week.
All told, Jennings has seen just 10 targets this season and made just six catches for 54 yards without a touchdown.
By comparison, the 29-year-old wideout posted career highs of 77 catches and 975 yards with the 49ers in 2024, adding six TDs. He followed that up with a career high nine TDs on 55 grabs for 643 yards last season before inking a one-year deal worth $8 million to join the Vikings in May.
How much of Jennings’ regression falls on his shoulders as opposed to the offensive scheme in general as opposed to the poor quarterback play from both Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz is at least a somewhat subjective matter of opinion.
That said, Tuesday’s deadline deal that sent the Las Vegas Raiders a third-round pick for quarterback Kirk Cousins could prove a boon not just to Jennings, but the entire Vikings’ offense including receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
Vikings’ Kirk Cousins Trade Should Create More Production for Jauan Jennings, Entire WR Room
Jennings has played 263 offensive snaps this season, which translates into just shy of 44 snaps per game in the contests he has played. The team is averaging roughly 60.6 snaps per outing, according to The Football Database. That means Jennings is on the field in the neighborhood of 75 percent of the time when he is healthy enough to suit up.
Given how much field time that represents, it is fair for critics to question what the heck is going on in Minnesota, both with and without Jennings specifically.
But Addison and Jefferson have both struggled this season relative to their historic performances in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, the offense has mustered just 10.5 points per game across its last two outings — a 19-15 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 8 with Kyler Murray under center and a 23-6 defeat to the Buffalo Bills at U.S. Bank Stadium last Monday night with Carson Wentz starting.
Neither the Lions or Bills have particularly vaunted defenses, which speaks volumes to the dire straits in which the Vikings offense found itself.
However, Cousins rejoins the team after completing 64 percent of his passes for 2,340 yards, 20 TDs and eight INTs across nine starts for the Raiders (4-5). He is likely to take the starting job from Murray and Wentz immediately and play for the Vikings against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 10.
Vikings’ Jauan Jennings Hits Defiant Message at NFL Trade Deadline