49ers Trade Pitch Brings Back History-Making Wide Receiver

The San Francisco 49ers might need to start thinking outside the box when it comes to filling out their wide receiver room.

With starter Mike Evans going down with a rib injury in a Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals , 49ers on SI's Grant Cohn believes the time has come to make a move.

"The 49ers should trade a 7th-round pick to Minnesota for Jauan Jennings ," Cohn wrote on his official X account on Monday. "They need him, and he needs them."

Jennings was a 7th-round pick (No. 217 overall) by the 49ers in the 2020 NFL Draft and played his 1st 6 seasons in San Francisco — including making history in an overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII when he became just the 2nd player in NFL history to throw for a touchdown and catch a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl, and 1 of just 6 non-quarterbacks to throw a touchdown pass in Super Bowl history.

Jennings had career highs of 77 receptions for 975 yards and 6 touchdowns in 15 games for the 49ers in 2024 and followed that up with 55 receptions for 643 yards and a career-high 9 touchdowns in 15 games in 2025.

Growing Drumbeat for 49ers to Bring Back Jennings

With the 49ers sitting at 3-0 but with dwindling resources at wide receiver, Niner's Noise's Nick San Miguel also thinks a trade for Jennings might be the answer.

"The San Francisco 49ers seemingly lose a new wide receiver every week," San Miguel wrote on September 26. "In Week 1, it was De'Zhaun Stribling, and in Week 2, it was Demarcus Robinson . While neither player should be out for the season, it's still concerning and the Niners made a move by signing veteran Brandin Cooks to the practice squad. Jauan Jennings might just be one of their most logical options, especially with how poorly his start with the Minnesota Vikings has gone. Obviously, it's only been two games but Jennings only got one target in Week 1 and then missed Week 2 because of a personal matter. That's way too small of a sample size to say he is a bust or anything, but if he never materializes into a viable target with Minnesota, then a return to San Francisco would make all the sense in the world."

Jauan Jennings Missed Out on Big-Money Contract

Jennings entered the 2026 offseason with his eyes on a big prize — Spotrac projected his market value was in the realm of a 3-year, $67 million free-agent contract.

That deal never materialized, and Jennings finally agreed to a 1-year, $8 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings on May 11 — some 2 months after the start of the NFL's free-agent cycle.

Jennings requested that the 49ers trade him before the 2025 season, and the franchise signed his replacement on the 1st day of the 2026 free-agent cycle, luring Evans away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a 3-year, $42.5 million contract.

ESPN's Matt Bowen has Jennings ranked as the No. 1 free agent still available on April 8.

"At 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, Jennings is a consistent route runner who plays through contact and makes himself available to the quarterback on in-breaking targets," Bowen wrote. "He caught 55 passes last season for an injury-riddled 49ers unit, scoring nine touchdowns. Jennings was even better in 2024, when he ranked 12th in ESPN's receiver scores and had 975 receiving yards."