The 49ers continue to have injury issues at the receiver position. And the Vikings have a current surplus of receivers that includes a player who had spent his first five seasons with the 49ers.
On Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of ESPNFL floated the possibility of Jauan Jennings being traded to the 49ers, in the coming days.
It would not be a surprise. As we explained after the Vikings signed Odell Beckham Jr. last week, OBJ’s arrival seemed to be a message to Jennings, who has two catches for nine yards in four 2026 appearances with two starts.
As the Vikings enter their bye, it’s a perfect time to assess the roster and to see if any moves can be made, either by adding a player or subtracting one. The Vikings seem to believe Beckham can still play, and the Vikings seem to be perplexed by Jennings’s inability to contribute to the passing game.
In lieu of simply cutting Jennings, there’s a possible deal to be made that would get the Vikings something of value in exchange for the balance of his one-year contract, which included a $4.5 million signing bonus with a $1.63 million base salary and nearly $100,000 per game in active roster bonuses and incentives tied to playing time and receptions.
If the 49ers are interested in bringing Jennings back, they could wait for the Vikings to potentially release him. But with Deebo Samuel joining the list of the substation’s victims (again) with a hamstring injury, time could be of the essence for the 49ers.
Or maybe Jennings gets the wakeup call, and it works. Either way, the clock is ticking. And continuing to hit the snooze button isn’t a viable option.