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Jauan Jennings is a free agent.
The San Francisco 49ers may move heaven and earth to re-sign wide receiver Jauan Jennings, but according to Chase Senior, they would be wrong to prioritize signing him over Eddy Piñeiro.
The NFL host and 49ers reporter urged San Francisco to re-sign its 2025 kicker over the free agent receiver when the league calendar rolls next month.
Piñeiro stabilized the 49ers’ kicking game by making 28 of 29 field goals (96.5%) and made 34 of 38 extra points in 14 games after he took over for Jake Moody and Matt Gay midseason.
The Niners, of course, were 12-5 and reached the divisional round before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks 41-6 at Lumen Field on Jan. 17.
Chase Senior: The Niners Have to Prioritize Signing Eddy Piñeiro Over Jauan Jennings
Jennings was San Francisco’s most consistent wide receiver, even amid reports of trade demands and contract squabbles. He finished second on the 49ers in receiving yards (643) behind only all-everything running back Christian McCaffrey and was third on the team in receptions (55) behind McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle.
Yet, all that pales in comparison to Piñeiro’s contributions, according to Senior.
“If a team offers Jennings more than $15 million per year, the Niners should let him walk,” Senior shared on X (formerly Twitter). “Pineiro helped stabilize the kicking game last year after the Jake Moody disaster and was one of the best kickers in the NFL in 2025.”
To Senior’s point, Piñeiro finished with the league’s best made-field-goal percentage. He also was 16 for 17 on kicks of at least 40 yards — he went 6 for 7 on 50-plus-yard kicks with a long of 59 yards in San Francisco’s upset road win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4.
Piñeiro also is about to turn 31 in September, and he is 139 for 155 in his career on field goals (89.7%).
Re-Signing Eddy Piñeiro Won’t Likely Stop the 49ers from Signing Jauan Jennings
Kickers in the NFL are a weapon, and this is a big offseason for potential free agents to reset the market.
Still, the highest-paid kickers in the NFL make about $6 million. Contract projections for Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys — the consensus best kicker and one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history — have him earning up to $8 million on the open market.
So the 49ers’ decision to re-sign Jennings is not likely to hinge on whether they re-sign Piñeiro this offseason.
Plus, even if it is, the 49ers are still likely to prioritize signing Jennings over their kicker.
Kicking can be a year-to-year phenomenon, and old-school minds like Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch aren’t going to let themselves get hemmed in, cap-wise, by a struggling kicker on a long-term contract.
Moody himself was great in his rookie season. He led the NFL in made extra points and knocking down 27 of 33 kicks between the regular season and postseason in 2023, helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl, before he became synonymous with failed potential in the Bay Area.
But Moody quietly rebounded in 2025, going 18 for 20 on field goals and 13 for 14 on extra points with the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders after being cut by the Niners.
So re-signing both Piñeiro and Jennings are not mutually exclusive, even though Senior and Niners fans feel the kicker should have the priority.
Pat Pickens is an experienced sports writer and media personality who has written for outlets like NHL.com, the Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today. He covers the NFL, NBA, NHL and NBA as a breaking news contributor at Heavy. More about Pat Pickens
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