Matt Barrows on Jauan Jennings’ unclear future with the 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have some work to do this offseason, but does Jauan Jennings fit into those plans?

During Tuesday morning’s edition of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows joined the show to share his thoughts on the 49ers’ season-ending playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks and contemplate what San Francisco will look to accomplish this offseason.

On the topic of which 49ers players could be on the move this offseason, Barrows said the future of wide receiver Jauan Jennings will be a top storyline to keep an eye.

More on veteran WR Jauan Jennings

Jauan Jennings, who entered this season seeking a contract extension–akin to the Brandon Aiyuk saga from a year ago–will become a free agent following his fifth season in San Francisco.

Following the 49ers’ season-ending loss in Seattle, the 28-year-old told the media that he would have to speak to his agent about his future, one that could see Jennings depart on the open market.

While an exit from the 49ers is possible, Barrows told Carmichael Dave and Jason Ross that San Francisco may look to retain the wide receiver so that they don’t have to replace him via trade, free agency, or in the NFL Draft.

“Jauan Jennings is the one you can’t really tell at this point, because at the end of the summer, they weren’t able to come to any sort of contract extension, and it seemed like they were essentially saying goodbye to him in the offseason,” Barrows said during his interview with Dave and Jason.

“The Brandon Aiyuk situation has created some extra money. And then on top of that, it was clear that they just don’t have another reliable guy at that position. So if they were to lose Jauan Jennings, they would have to bring in a Jauan Jennings-type veteran, sort of a reliable, multi-year guy that you know what you’re getting out of him.

“So I just wonder whether his value to the 49ers is higher than other teams. I wonder if he does make it to the market–and he seems ready to do that–that he finds that maybe the 49ers are the best place for me. I think that scenario is still on the table.”

Back in November, reports surfaced that San Francisco voided the guaranteed money on Aiyuk’s four-year, $120 million extension that was signed in 2024 due to his “failure to meet the requirements of the deal.”

With Aiyuk seemingly out of the equation for 2026 and the 49ers already thin on wide receiving options, it may be wise to retain Jauan Jennings, who hauled in a career-best nine touchdowns during the 2025 season while leading the WR room in receptions (55) and receiving yards (643).

Of course, there are plenty more questions for the 49ers to answer this coming offseason, with Jauan Jennings’ free agency, Christian McCaffrey’s workload, and other looming questions waiting to be answered.

Be sure to listen to and watch the entire interview with The Athletic’s San Francisco 49ers beat writer, Matt Barrows, right here or on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.

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Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

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Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Offseason Schedule

• Sunday, February 8 – Super Bowl LX

• Tuesday, February 17 – Tuesday, March 3 – Franchise/Transition Tag window

• Monday, February 23 – Monday, March 2 – NFL Scouting Combine (Indianapolis)

• Monday, March 9 – Wednesday, March 11 – Free agent negotiation period

• Wednesday, March 11 – 2026 League Year begins & free agency opens

• Sunday, March 29 – Wednesday, April 1 – NFL Annual League Meeting

• Thursday, April 23 – Saturday, April 25 – 2026 NFL Draft

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