The 49ers and Vikings had a Trade in Place for Jauan Jennings and He Nixed It

Oh no.

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What a bad look for the 49ers.

They desperately need a wide receiver because their three big additions this offseason -- Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel and De'Zhaun Stribling -- are all injured. So, of course, the 49ers called up the Vikings to inquire about trading for Jauan Jennings, who has four catches for 43 yards this season.

And, of course, the Vikings were open to trading Jennings back to the 49ers, where he spent the first five seasons of his career. The two teams even had a deal in place, according to FOX's Jay Glazer.

But Jennings nixed the deal. Apparently, it was contingent upon Jennings having a FaceTime call with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, presumably to clear the air after their relationship became rocky during the past couple seasons.

Jennings refused to participate in the call. He wouldn't even talk to Lynch and Shanahan. Which means Brandon Aiyuk isn't the only former 49ers wide receiver who seems to hold a deep, personal grudge against them.

It's unclear why Jennings seems so upset with the 49ers. Maybe he thinks the Vikings are the better team and that he'll get his opportunities soon enough. Or, maybe he's still bitter than the 49ers never gave him the contract extension he wanted. He always saw himself as the best receiver on their roster, even better than Aiyuk, and felt the 49ers didn't appreciate him.

Did Jennings have an inflated opinion of himself? Absolutely. But that's part of what made him good. He truly believed he was the best, even though he's not. And now, the 49ers want him back, and they can't have him because they didn't show him love. Or something.

What's important to the 49ers is that they haven't figured out a solution to their wide receiver problem. Clearly, they're searching the bargain bin for a receiver they can get in exchange for a late-round draft pick, which is disappointing.

They need a true difference-maker to replace Mike Evans if he misses time with Achilles tendinitis. And they'll never draft that wide receiver at the end of Round 1, which is where they pick almost every year. They tried recently and ended up with Ricky Pearsall and Stribling, who aren't exactly as good as Evans.

The 49ers need to get serious and start offering their first-round picks to bad teams that have great wide receivers. They have 10 days to figure it out.