Steelers Now
San Francisco 49ers general manger John Lynch has definitively stated that his team will not be trading wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who requested a move this offseason amid contract negotiations. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been monitoring the trade market for wide receivers throughout this offseason, but have been unable to find a trading partner since sending George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in May.
In addition to his trad request, Jennings has also been dealing with an injury that has been holding him out of practice, causing the 49ers to add wide receivers Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling before the start of the season, and possibility more than that.
“Jauan Jennings is still working through his calf issue, making progress,” Lynch said on Wednesday. “We are kinda like everyone else, hopeful but not sure about Week 1.”
But in terms of whether or not Jennings will be traded or not, Lynch was definitive.
“A while ago he did [ask], but that was a long time ago and we’ve moved on from that,” Lynch said. “We’re not doing that. We’re moving forward.”
The 26-year-old Jennings is set to enter the final year of his contract, and has been seeking a new deal. He signed a two-year, $15.39 million contract extension with the 49ers last season, and is set to earn $7.5 million this season. He is owed a $2.205 million option bonus five days before the start of the regular season. If the 49ers had any ideas about trading Jennings, such a move would likely have to be made before then.
A seventh-round pick out of Tennessee in 2020 NFL Draft, Jennings had a breakout season in 2024, his fourth with the 49ers. After totaling 78 catches for 963 yards and seven touchdowns through his first three seasons, Jennings took advantage of injuries to Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk to become the team’s leading receiver in 2024.
Last season alone, Jennings caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns, nearly duplicating his first three seasons’ worth of production.
This offseason, the 49ers traded Samuel to the Washington Commanders, opening the door to Jennings retaining a larger share of the team’s passing offense. Aiyuk is also not scheduled to return from the ACL and MCL injuries he suffered last October until mid-season, making Jennings the team’s de facto No. 1 receiver to start the 2025 season.
Behind him, 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall and 2025 fourth-round pick Jordan Watkins round out a seriously thin wide receivers room. Watkins has also been dealing with a high ankle sprain suffered in the preseason opener, leaving Pearsall and Moore as the lone healthy wide receiver on the 53-man roster entering the start of Week 1.
Veterans Robby Chosen, Malik Turner and Valdes-Scantling are on the San Francisco practice squad, along with 2025 seventh-round pick Junior Bergen.
The lack of depth at the wide receiver position has led some to link the 49ers to a reunion with recently released receiver Kendrick Bourne, and trading away...
