On the surface, the San Francisco 49ers adding Marquez Valdes-Scantling and showing interest in Kendrick Bourne might sound like a Jauan Jennings trade is coming. After all, Jennings wants a new contract, and the summer brought rumors that Jennings had asked to be traded if one wasn’t coming. But the 49ers’ front office has shut the door on any idea of moving him this season. General manager John Lynch told reporters on Wednesday that Jennings is staying in San Fran while confirming Jennings previously asked to be dealt.
“A while ago he did,” Lynch said via the 49ers’ YouTube channel. “But that was a long time ago. But we’ve moved on from that.”
It contradicts what Lynch said in late July when he told reporters Jennings hadn’t asked for a trade. Perhaps the request came after, but Shanahan’s quote of it happening a “long time ago” suggests it occurred well before.
Jennings entered the offseason as the team’s No. 1 healthy receiver. But a calf injury has sidelined him and cast doubt on his Week One roster. Some have speculated that Jennings is using a calf injury as a facade to avoid playing, but Lynch noted both things are true: Jennings wants a new contract, and he’s hurt. No matter what’s happening behind the scenes, Lynch’s public stand hasn’t wavered.
“He asked for it, and we’ve moved on. We’re not doing that. We’re moving forward,” Lynch said, indicating Jennings hasn’t rescinded his trade request, but the front office has no plans to oblige.
A big-bodied receiver, Jennings was a gem of a find in the 2020 NFL Draft. A seventh-round pick, he hasn’t posted massive numbers but has consistently made chain-moving catches and clutch plays. In the team’s 2024 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, he caught and threw for a touchdown, becoming the first Super Bowl receiver to throw for a score since the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antwaan Randle El in Super Bowl XL.
Taking the mantle as the 49ers’ No. 1 receiver last year following Brandon Aiyuk’s knee injury, Jennings posted career numbers across the board: 77 receptions, 975 yards, and six touchdowns.
Given his injury, his contract desires, and the 49ers’ insistence that he won’t be dealt, it’s hard to believe Jennings will be traded. San Francisco is thin at receiver and added Valdes-Scantling and potentially Bourne due to need. The complexion of the depth chart doesn’t afford them trading Jennings away, and even if the group were healthy and available, it’s doubtful he’d be on the move anyway.
Jennings is another name to cross off the Steelers’ list of options, and Pittsburgh seems content rolling with the group it has to begin the season.
