Niners Nation
San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch spoke to the media on Wednesday, shortly after the team got its practice squad settled amid a flurry of roster moves.
However, one of the biggest topics of conversation revolved around one of the longer-tenured 49ers: wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
Jennings has not practiced recently due to a calf injury, which has kept his status for Week 1 up in the air. But, he has also been looking for a new contract, just one year after signing a two-year, $15.4 million extension with the 49ers.
Acknowledging the subject, Lynch confirmed that the wideout did request a trade, but that the team has moved on from that and expects Jennings to be with the team in 2025.
“A while ago, he (Jauan Jennings) did [ask to be traded]. But, that was a long time ago, and we’ve moved on from that,” Lynch said. “I’m not getting into when it was, but it was a while ago.”
However, Lynch shut down any notion that the 49ers would look for a trade, affirming that the team “isn’t doing that.”
Unfortunately, there still isn’t clarity whether the wideout will be available for Week 1, with the calf injury still being an issue. As a result, the 49ers signed Marques Valdez-Scantling on Wednesday, one day after the Seattle Seahawks released him.
“Jauan’s still working through his calf issue, making progress. We’re kind of like everyone else. Hopeful, but not sure on [his status for] Week 1. We’ll proceed as such. We’re working to get the best mix out there. We added a piece today in MVS, Marques Valdez-Scantling. Thrilled to have him part of it, and we’ll move forward.”
Lynch also confirmed that veteran wideout Russell Gage, who was released during San Francisco’s initial 53-man roster cutdown, would be on the active roster Week 1 and is back with the team. So, the 49ers are slowly building up their opening receiver core, which also figures to include Ricky Pearsall and Skyy Moore.
According to OverTheCap, Jennings will make a base salary of $1.17 million in 2025 and is guaranteed $3.275 million this season. He’ll carry a cap hit of $4.26 million this season, and is currently slated to have an $8.2 million dead cap charge in 2026 when his contract voids.
Given the current state of their wide receiver room, it would be a big blow for San Francisco if Jennings cannot suit up for Week 1. Here’s how the 49ers current group looks, including the additions of Valdez-Scantling and Gage:
Active Roster
Ricky Pearsall
Skyy Moore
Jauan Jennings (dealing with calf issue)
Jordan Watkins (dealing with high-ankle sprain)
Marques Valdez-Scantling
Russell Gage
Practice Squad
Robbie Chosen
Junior Bergen
Let’s hope that the Jennings situation is resolved by then. Otherwise, it could get ugly for Brock Purdy come Week 1.
