While tight end George Kittle leads the San Francisco 49ers with 1,079 receiving yards, no wide receiver on the team has more receiving yards than Jauan Jennings. The physical, fan-favorite veteran currently boasts 923 receiving yards and six touchdowns, putting him just 77 yards shy of achieving his first-ever 1,000-yard season.
With one game remaining, the 49ers are eager to help the 27-year-old reach this milestone in Sunday's season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.
"You always want to do that stuff for guys, especially in a situation where you can think about it," head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Wednesday. "It's insulting to think about it just in the situation if you're competing for a playoff spot or something like that. But always, I would love to help that out for guys."
Jennings, who signed a two-year extension with the 49ers this past offseason, acknowledged the milestone's significance.
"It means a lot," Jennings admitted. "I'm not going to take anything away from it. I play receiver. I haven't played receiver my entire life, so I'm a receiver now, so I take pride in it. A thousand yards is a thousand yards."
Shanahan expressed caution regarding helping players reach statistical milestones.
"I remember last year, watching the Rams trying to get [WR] Puka [Nacua] the record, which I know they wanted to get him in and out," Shanahan said. "So, we were doing everything we could to deny him the ball. I remember he came to the sidelines on like a one-yard gain and I told him, '[Rams head coach] Sean's [McVay] going to have to play you to the end of this game because we're not giving you your record. And he just laughed, and I laughed at it."
However, Shanahan noted that the circumstances are different with the 49ers eliminated from playoff contention.
"But we're not playing the next week, so I'd love to help guys do that," he concluded.