The San Francisco 49ers reunited with several former players this past offseason as Deebo Samuel and Dre Greenlaw returned to the Bay Area after one season away. Nonetheless, could the Niners continue this trend?
Over the offseason, the 49ers lost Jauan Jennings, who signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings. However, this move to Minnesota hasn’t gone as planned for Jennings.
Jennings has had two catches for nine yards in three games for the Vikings, per StatMuse. As a result, San Francisco 49ers on SI’s Grant Cohn believes the Niners need to be calling Minnesota to reunite with the veteran wideout.
“Jauan Jennings is available for the right price if the 49ers are interested in trading for him, according to a source,” Cohn said in an Oct. 7 video on his YouTube channel. “The Vikings gave him a signing bonus worth $4.5 million. But so far this season, he has two catches for nine yards and apparently there are some personality issues that have gotten old fast.
“If that’s truly the case, I’m not surprised because I think that’s what happened with Jauan Jennings last season… I think he rubbed a lot of people on the Niners the wrong way, and they didn’t seem to make much of an effort to bring him back. So, he’s been humbled. He’s doing nothing. The Vikings don’t want him. The Niners should call the Vikings.”
What Could 49ers Offer Vikings for Jauan Jennings?
During his five seasons with the Niners, Jennings had 210 receptions for 2,581 receiving yards and recorded 22 touchdowns in 75 games, per StatMuse. Much like Greenlaw and Samuel, Jennings has struggled in his new setting, and Cohn believes that a conditional pick should be enough to bring him back to the 49ers.
“His base salary is $1.6 million this year,” Cohn added. “Call up the Vikings. Offer a seventh-round pick, conditional. You don’t want him. You’re paying him to do nothing, and who knows, maybe he’s disruptive in your locker room. Bring him home. Let him fit back in the locker room. Let the Niners put their arms around him.
“Deebo Samuel can be the role model and show Jauan what it’s like to come back and be a good teammate and to fit right in. Who was more disgruntled than Deebo a couple of years ago? Jauan made Deebo look like the happy camper. Now the roles are reversed. I love this freaking idea. The Niners can’t have too many wide receivers.”
Niners Urged to Pursue Chargers’ Khalil Mack
Along with potentially trading for a wide receiver, Jose Sanchez of San Francisco 49ers on SI is urging the Niners to pull off a trade for nine-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack, with the Los Angeles Chargers being at 0-4.
“Their pass rush is almost as nonexistent as it was last season,” Sanchez wrote in an Oct. 6 article. “That’s going to remain with Nick Bosa out, which should coerce the 49ers into making a trade. And the trade to execute is for Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack.
“John Lynch has to be working the phones with the Chargers to see if they can broker a deal. It’s time. Their performance against the Broncos should’ve been enough to convince them how bad it is. The week before, against the Arizona Cardinals, it was the same as well.”
49ers Insider Has Strong Take Involving Vikings’ Jauan Jennings