Last offseason, wide receiver Jauan Jennings demanded the San Francisco 49ers either give him a contract extension or trade him.
The Niners did neither, instead opting to revise the final year of his current deal with incentives rather than grant him one of his two wishes.
This stemmed from San Francisco's newfound hardline attitude toward player contracts, particularly in the wake of ugly negotiations with both now-Washington Commanders wideout Deebo Samuel and then the now-AWOL Brandon Aiyuk.
Considering the 49ers spent big money on both Samuel and Aiyuk, and then also inked both tight end George Kittle and quarterback Brock Purdy to hefty extensions, it sure seemed as if Jennings would be the odd man out and would find himself hitting the open market when his contract expired in 2026.
Maybe not now.
Jauan Jennings stands to benefit the most from Brandon Aiyuk departure
The Niners voided over $26 million in guarantees on Aiyuk's contract for 2026, meaning they'll save a substantial amount of money if they indeed use a post-June 1 release designation on him.
While it shouldn't be expected San Francisco freely spends that money, it's reasonable to assume now Jennings would go from likely entering free agency to a must-have re-sign priority, especially considering the only other bona fide receiver on the roster signed through next season is 2024 rookie Ricky Pearsall.
Unlike Aiyuk, Jennings isn't going to command top-market value on a re-sign deal. According to Over the Cap, the latter's 2025 production is valued at $9.3 million. That's a far cry from the $30 million annual average Aiyuk had when his extension was inked.
Plus, the 49ers understand well just how good the chemistry is between Jennings and Purdy, and keeping that pipeline open for as long as possible now becomes even more important when realizing the quarterback, too, had an excellent rapport with the soon-to-depart Aiyuk, at least prior to the receiver's devastating 2024 ACL and MCL tears.
For Jennings, who was eyeing an uncertain future beyond this season, it sure seems as if he'll be looked at as a key pending free agent the Niners would love to retain.
Hopefully, he's feeling the same vibes in spite of the previous standoff that existed last offseason.