49ers $67 million free agent predicted to leave San Francisco for the Saints originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
One of the highest free-agent priorities for the San Francisco 49ers this offseason is wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
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Jennings was looking for a contract extension last offseason, but he and the 49ers did not end up coming to an agreement, which sets the stage for the veteran to hit the open market in 2026.
Jennings’ production took a step back in 2025, which is not ideal for his upcoming market. The former seventh-rounder posted 975 receiving yards and six scores in 2024, but followed that up with 643 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025.
As Jennings prepares to hit free agency for the first time in his career, Pro Football and Sports Network’s Ryan Guthrie predicts Jennings will leave San Francisco and sign with the New Orleans Saints.
“After committing big money to Brandon Aiyuk, the Niners let Jauan Jennings walk,” Guthrie wrote. “While his WR Impact Score (71.1) ranked No. 77, he scored nine touchdowns in limited action. Pairing him with Chris Olave gives Tyler Shough another red-zone threat.”
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Spotrac projects Jennings will land a three-year, $67.8 million contract, which amounts to a whopping $22.6 million per season.
We do not believe he’ll garner that much given his lackluster career production, but never say never in free agency. If Jennings does command that much, there’s no way San Francisco will bring him back.
That said, if Jennings comes at a reasonable price, we could see the Niners keeping him around. That’s because San Francisco has a dire need at wide receiver thanks to the disastrous situation with Brandon Aiyuk that will likely lead to his exit.
As things stand now, the only notable wide receivers under contract for 2026 other than Aiyuk are Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson, which obviously is not going to cut it.
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Assuming the price is not outlandish, we could definitely see the Saints having some interest in Jennings with the team’s need to help out Tyler Shough.
New Orleans has a fantastic No. 1 option in Chris Olave but is lacking reliable options behind him.
A duo of Jennings and Olave would be a more-than sufficient one-two punch for Shough and would no doubt put him in a better position to succeed, which is the No. 1 priority for New Orleans this offseason.
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