Looking back, the San Francisco 49ers may wish they had locked up wide receiver Jauan Jennings with a longer deal than the two-year, $15.39 million contract he signed last offseason. Now entering the final year of that agreement, Jennings is expected to play a crucial role in the 49ers' offense, especially with Deebo Samuel no longer on the roster and Brandon Aiyuk returning from ACL and MCL injuries.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) analyst Jonathon Macri recently identified the most underrated player on each of the 32 NFL teams heading into the 2025 season. For the 49ers, the choice was clear—Jauan Jennings. While often overshadowed in media coverage, Jennings has consistently delivered when called upon.
"Jennings came into the 2024 season facing a crowded depth chart in San Francisco," Macri wrote, "between Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and even 2024 first-round pick Ricky Pearsall, not to mention the added target competition of George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey.
"Despite all odds, Jennings established himself as a top option on offense, ranking in the top 20 in PFF receiving grade (83.7), receptions (77), and yards per route run (2.26) in the regular season among qualifying wide receivers. Thanks to his most recent season, the former seventh-round pick is now in a prime spot to continue his stellar play in 2025."
Coming off his best season as a pro, Jennings stepped up following Aiyuk's injury, finishing with 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns over 15 games (10 starts) in 2024. He was on pace to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals before being ejected from the game.
According to Spotrac, Jennings' market value now sits at an estimated two-year, $20 million deal—an amount that could rise significantly with another strong performance this season.
Jennings enters the 2025 campaign with confidence and a clear mindset, ready to embrace the WR1 role while continuing to deliver his trademark physical style of play.
"Yeah, I think, if you ask Jauan, he says 'I'm number one,'" offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said last week. "And that's his mindset, and that's why we love Jauan. That's how he sees himself. He sees himself as a dominant player. I think you guys all saw last year when he got more chances, he played really, really well. So really fired up about Jauan."