SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers did, in fact, come close to acquiring Minnesota Vikings receiver Jauan Jennings in a trade recently. But coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that Jennings' decision not to return to San Francisco came after he spoke to Shanahan via FaceTime.
The Niners had come close enough to a trade that the Vikings allowed Jennings to speak to Shanahan before completing the deal, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Sunday, confirming news first reported by Fox Sports. Shanahan said Wednesday that he and Jennings did speak about the potential for a reunion before Jennings ultimately opted to stay in Minnesota.
"We love Jauan," Shanahan said. "We have such a good relationship with Jauan and know him real well, and we didn't want to do it without talking to him first. So, we had to agree on some things to at least make it close enough to be able to talk to him. And when we got on a FaceTime with JJ, it went well. ... We talked about a lot of stuff and he ended up saying that he was happy with where he was. It wasn't just like a definite no at first, but he was like 'Man, Kyle, I'm pretty happy here and liking stuff.'
"It was a good conversation and something that was possible, but that's why it didn't go down."
Had the Niners reacquired Jennings, whom they originally selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft, it would have been their latest reunion with a key player who has departed.
In the offseason, the team re-signed linebacker Dre Greenlaw and receiver Deebo Samuel. Last week, the Niners traded for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner six years after he left San Francisco for the Indianapolis Colts in a 2020 trade..
Because of the Niners' early success, their need at receiver and Jennings' lack of involvement in Minnesota's offense -- he has six catches for 54 yards on 10 targets this season -- multiple team sources expressed surprise Wednesday that Jennings didn't want to return.
Jennings had a bit of a roller coaster final season in San Francisco. He hoped for a lucrative, long-term contract entering the 2025 training camp and didn't get it, instead settling for a $3 million increase in playing time incentives.
From there, Jennings endured an injury-plagued season in which he played through shoulder, ankle, chest and rib injuries as he finished with 55 receptions for 643 yards and nine touchdowns. At the end of the season, Jennings was emotional when asked about leaving the 49ers, calling his six seasons with the team "a run I'll never forget."
As an unrestricted free agent, Jennings didn't garner the type of offer he'd hoped, settling for a one-year, $8 million deal in Minnesota with incentives that could take it to $13 million.
Shanahan said there was no bad blood between the team and Jennings.
"It wasn't all like that," Shanahan said. "It was a good talk, but he's with good people. He likes where he's at, and I thought he made sense what he said and I agreed with him."
With a Jennings reunion off the table, Shanahan did indicate the 49ers are still on the hunt for help at receiver. Injuries to Mike Evans (Achilles), Demarcus Robinson (ankle), Samuel (hamstring) and De'Zhaun Stribling (ankle), among others, have left the Niners in need of depth.
The 49ers opened Robinson's practice window on Wednesday, and he was a limited participant in that session. Evans and Samuel did not practice, though Shanahan said Evans has "made a lot of progress" and that he'd be "surprised" if Samuel can return this week against the Las Vegas Raiders, saying next week against the Dallas Cowboys was more likely.
In the meantime, any trade the 49ers pull off for a receiver before Tuesday's deadline will be with an eye toward finding someone who can acclimate quickly to an offense that demands a lot from its wideouts.
In 2019, the 49ers traded for veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who stepped in and played a key role in a Super Bowl run immediately. But Shanahan cautions that those types of seamless fits are difficult to find.
"It's really hard at receiver," Shanahan said. "I don't know if it's the hardest, but it's up there. Emmanuel was a special case... Things came really easy to Emmanuel, but it's different for all types of guys and that's why there's got to be the right guy."