The New Orleans Saints shouldn’t be expected to sign San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings after the team used a restricted free agent tender on him. San Francisco announced Monday that it had placed a second-round tender of $4.89 million on the wideout. The 49ers reserve the right to match any offer Jennings receives from other teams.
If San Francisco elects not to match that offer, the acquiring team will have to send a second-round pick to San Francisco in return for Jennings. So if New Orleans made an offer the 49ers couldn’t match, the Saints would have to give up the No. 45 overall pick in this year’s draft.
That’s a heavy price tag, and it’s fitting for the sheer amount of talent he brings to the table. Jennings would have been named the MVP of the Super Bowl if the 49ers had managed to bring down the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, where they came up just painfully short.
Jennings’ numbers don’t necessarily reflect the quality of the tape, as he has served as a quality blocker and highly versatile player. He closed out the 2023 season with 19 receptions for 265 yards with a touchdown. Over three seasons in San Francisco, he totaled 78 catches for 963 yards with seven touchdowns to his name.
It will be interesting to see how things shake out as the 49ers are clearly making a strong effort to keep him. If things don’t work out long-term with Brandon Aiyuk, retaining Jennings becomes even more important.
