The Vikings secured their new No. 3 receiver on Thursday by signing Jauan Jennings to a one-year deal worth up to $13 million.
Jennings was one of the best players still available after the draft, surprisingly not finding his next home until nearly two months after free agency began. He now heads to Minnesota after spending the first six years of his career with the 49ers.
A productive receiver, strong run blocker and clutch player on third down, Jennings naturally drew interest from other teams before ultimately deciding to become a Vikings. Adam Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show Friday there were three other squads that showed interest in Jennings: the Dolphins, Commanders and Chiefs. While Schefter believes that the Vikings were the only team Jennings visited, he did receive some level of interest from those three franchises.
The Dolphins had a glaring need at receiver this offseason, especially after trading Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, however, Miami liked Jennings but couldn’t “compete financially” because of their cap situation. While Jennings’s deal is far from pricey, coming with a base salary of $8 million, the Dolphins are in a rebuild and taking on massive dead cap money after releasing Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and other former players. The Dolphins have signed two receivers this offseason—Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert—and both deals were for one year and less than $1.5 million. The Dolphins also drafted three receivers this year—Caleb Douglas, Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr.—allowing them to obtain talent at the position at a cheaper rate.
The Commanders are another team with a receiver need, particularly outside of Terry McLaurin. General manager Adam Peters has ties to Jennings from their time on the 49ers together, but Washington has ultimately gone in a different direction. They drafted Antonio Williams in the third round and remain linked as a potential destination for Brandon Aiyuk if/when he is released by the 49ers.
The Chiefs got to see the impact of Jennings up close during Super Bowl LVIII, when Jennings threw a touchdown and caught four passes for 42 yards and another touchdown. After disappointing seasons from Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice, they also could have used more at receiver, especially since they did not draft one this year until the sixth round. For now, they are running it back with their current receiving core, and feel good that Worthy could take steps forward since he is no longer dealing with a shoulder injury he suffered in Week 1 of last season.
While there might have been some other potential landing spots for Jennings, he ultimately ended up in a great spot in Minnesota. The Vikings run a similar style of scheme as the 49ers, and Jennings will be able to step up into a role vacated by Jalen Nailor when he left for the Raiders this offseason. His run blocking and yards after the catch ability will be welcomed on the Vikings, where he is a sound fit overall. As a bonus, Minnesota is also a playoff contender, giving Jennings the opportunity to play for a winning team like he often he did in San Francisco.
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EVA GEITHEIM
Eva Geitheim is an NFL writer at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in December 2024, she wrote for Newsweek, Gymnastics Now and Dodgers Nation. A Bay Area native, she has a bachelor’s in communications from UCLA. When not writing, she can be found baking or rewatching Gilmore Girls.
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