The 49ers sign receiver Jauan Jennings to an extension through the 2025 season

By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers signed receiver Jauan Jennings to a contract extension through the 2025 season to get one of their two missing receivers back at practice.

The Niners had given Jennings a $4.89 million restricted free agent tender in March before signing him to a two-year deal on Wednesday that is worth up to $15.4 million with $10.5 million guaranteed, according to his agent Drew Rosenhaus.

ESPN first reported the terms of the new deal.

The 49ers still are trying to get a long-term deal done with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who has been skipping the voluntary portion of the offseason.

Aiyuk is set to play on the fifth-year option worth about $14.1 million this season and wants a long-term contract that would pay him significantly more money based on his production so far in his career. Several of the top receivers have contracts in the $25 million a year range.

Aiyuk was a key part of San Francisco’s offense last season as he formed a great connection with quarterback Brock Purdy. Aiyuk had 75 catches and a career-high 1,375 yards last season with seven touchdowns as he earned second-team All-Pro honors.

Jennings has been far less productive over his career but is still a key part of San Francisco’s offense. He had only 19 catches for 265 yards and one TD in 13 regular-season games but makes key contributions as a blocker in the run game and shined in the postseason.

Teammate George Kittle said Jennings’ value can be seen by anyone who watches tape of him play, calling him “one of one” for the physicality he displays at the position.

“For a guy that does it all, he runs the routes, he does the run game. He shows up every day loving the game with a great attitude every single day,” Kittle said.

“You get to gameday and he makes all those plays. That’s someone you want to be in your building, that’s someone that you want to pay. That’s something you want to reward because he’s going to keep bringing it every Sunday and just raise the standard of everybody around him.”

Jennings had 10 catches for 111 yards and one TD in three playoff games last season and was a star in the Super Bowl loss to Kansas City. He had four catches for 42 yards and a TD and also threw a 21-yard TD pass, becoming just the second player to catch a TD pass and throw one in a Super Bowl.

Jennings was a seventh-round pick in 2020 and spent his first season on the practice squad. He has played in 45 games the past three years with 78 receptions for 963 yards and seven touchdowns. He has been at his best on third downs with more than half of his catches — 40 — coming in those key spots for 32 first downs or touchdowns.

NOTES: RB Christian McCaffrey and DT Maliek Collins are among the players who have not been seen with the team during the voluntary portion of the offseason. … DE Nick Bosa watched practice but didn’t participate, along with LB Fred Warner. … Kittle said he expects to be fully recovered from offseason core muscle surgery by the start of training camp.

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