The San Francisco 49ers had a solid win against the New York Giants on Sunday. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings had a good showing and boosted his trade value in the process ahead of Tuesday's NFL trade deadline.
There have been trade rumors swirling around Jennings pretty much ever since he and head coach Kyle Shanahan got into a spat on the sideline during a game earlier this season. Shanahan recently said he would be surprised if Jennings were traded, but with the needs the Niners have, they may have no other choice.
If the Niners do have any interest in trading Jennings, he helped his trade value with a very good game against the Giants. Jennings hauled in four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown against the G-Men. It was a very solid showing after he had not caught a touchdown since Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.
It has seemed like Jennings and the Niners could part ways for a while dating back to before the season even began when Jennings requested a trade due to a dispute over his contract.
He wanted more money after he had a great breakout season in 2024 and established himself as the team's top wide receiver in the absence of Brandon Aiyuk.
This season, Jennings has dealt with injuries and has struggled a bit to establish chemistry with backup quarterback Mac Jones who has been thrust into a starting role due to the injuries that quarterback Brock Purdy has had to deal with.
It looks like he and Jones are finally starting to get on the same page, but the Niners may feel the need to trade Jennings especially if they could get a defensive lineman in some sort of package that would include the wide receiver.
Jennings is going to be a free agent after this season, and it seems unlikely he will be back, especially if he commands a fairly large deal. San Francisco may decide that if it can deal him now and get something for him, that may be the best bet.
At the same time, with the Niners now at 6-3 on the season and right in the thick of things in a tough NFC West, would it really be wise to trade Jennings? At his best, he is a great threat on third down for the team and can be an absolute force in the run-blocking game. Plus, he is a favorite target of Purdy's, so if Purdy is healthy enough to come back, it would help him out to have Jennings out there.
It will not be an easy decision for the Niners, but if they do plan on trading Jennings, his impressive outing on Sunday will help them get more for him.