This offseason, the Minnesota Vikings needed to fill that WR3 role after the team lost Jalen Nailor in free agency. Minnesota decided it wasn’t going to draft a player to fill that role and instead signed veteran free agent Jauan Jennings.
Last season with the San Francisco 49ers, Jennings posted a 68.3 overall PFF grade, finishing with 55 catches on 88 targets for 643 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 11.7 yards per reception. Furthermore, he recorded 180 yards after the catch and had three drops during the season.
On May 27, J.J. McCarthy spoke with the media and shared his thoughts on Jennings’ arrival as the Vikings QB could be throwing him the ball should he win the signal-caller competition.
“I’m so happy to have that guy as part of the squad,” McCarthy told reporters. “[Jennings has] got great energy about him. I’ve been watching him for a long time. He’s been doing it at a really high level for a long time, and we’re blessed to have him as part of this group.“
Moreover, McCarthy spoke about another Vikings wideout, Justin Jefferson, and shared the offseason connection that the two players built.
“It’s just building those on-time and on-rhythm passes for each concept, each route,” McCarthy added. “It’s just tremendous to be around that guy every single day.“
Kyler Murray Gets Blunt About Jauan Jennings
The other QB in the battle is Kyler Murray, and the new Vikings signal-caller also shared his thoughts on Jennings, who has seen up close playing in the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals.
“Jauan, honestly, getting to meet him now, it’s been great,” Murray told reporters on May 27. “I understand what type of competitor he is. He’s kind of given us fits for the past couple of years. Just really a dog, you know. Throw it his way, pretty, ugly, whatever way it gets done. That’s the type of energy and juice he brings to the team and the field.“
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see which of these two QBs will win the job and be throwing the ball to Jennings this upcoming season.
What Jauan Jennings Will Bring to the Vikings
While the Vikings are hopeful that Jennings fits into that WR3 role and is a reliable option for whoever wins the QB battle, there’s another aspect of his game that Jennings can bring: getting under his opponents’ skin.
During a May 11 appearance on SKOR North – Minnesota Sports, 49ers ON SI’s Grant Cohn shared what the Vikings are getting in the wideout.
“One of the things that’s his defining characteristic is that he really pisses off players on the other team,” Cohn said. “Shelby Harris called him a h– last year, and he started multiple fights. He’s not necessarily a dirty player. He just is really enthusiastic about blocking DBs who are smaller.“
The memo now goes out to the Vikings’ opponents this upcoming season: Jennings will look to get under their skin. Additionally, this message should go out to the teams in the NFC North who will see Jennings twice this upcoming season.
Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy Gives True Thoughts on Jauan Jennings