The San Francisco 49ers have plenty of problems to address heading into the offseason, but few loom as large as figuring out how their wide receiver room will look in 2026.
With the Niners all but guaranteed to part ways with the embattled Brandon Aiyuk at some point in the next few months, the only remaining established wideouts under contract for the upcoming year are Ricky Pearsall and Demarcus Robinson, and neither came close to establishing themselves as a true WR1 over the course of 2025.
Sure, San Francisco can pivot to April's NFL Draft for hopeful replacements.
But, especially in light of Aiyuk's future, the obvious move is for the 49ers to retain one of their own, Jauan Jennings.
And general manager John Lynch said as much.
John Lynch stresses 49ers' desire to re-sign WR Jauan Jennings
Speaking alongside head coach Kyle Shanahan during their end-of-year press conference, Lynch took time to speak on Jennings, a pending free agent who asked for an extension last offseason but received an incentive-laden rewrite instead.
"He plays the game the right way," Lynch said of Jennings, pointing out how the receiver doesn't shy away from being an agitator. "We would love to have him back. We'll work to accomplish that and see how it goes."
Lynch didn't go into those kinds of details with any of the other Niners free agents, which pretty much indicates Jennings is now San Francisco's top re-sign priority.
Especially in light of the Aiyuk saga and understanding both Pearsall and Robinson's impact.
Granted, Jennings might easily seek a big-money deal on the open market, thereby pricing himself out of the 49ers' comfort range and forcing them to rely on other options.
However, at least according to the general manager, the Niners will do what they can to ensure one of their better all-around offensive weapons doesn't depart the building for new pastures in 2026.