One 49ers player is costing himself a ton of money this season

When betting on yourself goes wrong.

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The 2025 season was always going to be massive for Jauan Jennings.

Jennings broke out in 2024 and is due a contract at the end of this season. Jennings feels he deserves more money, and he even sat out at times during training camp to show the San Francisco 49ers what they were missing.

However, six weeks into what could be described as the most important season of his career have been a complete dud, and it could cost Jennings money. 

Jauan Jennings is costing himself money this offseason

Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Jennings has mostly been a non-factor due to injury concerns, but his play has not been good, either.

Jennings' yards per route run this season is 1.01. Last season, his yards per route run was at 2.29, and his career low before this season was 1.16. So, he is not even half as productive as last year, and even when he is healthy and on the field, he has been playing poorly. 

It did not help to see Jennings and head coach Kyle Shanahan arguing with each other on the sideline. To be fair, Shanahan is a passionate coach and has had arguments with players in the past. However, he has also put players in the dog house before, and if Jennings becomes a player that Shanahan does not want to involve in the offense, his stats are going to plummet. 

Jauan Jennings has five broken ribs and doesn’t want to talk about his argument with Kyle Shanahan on the 49ers’ sideline. pic.twitter.com/ibWYCQrmNp

— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) October 13, 2025

A make-or-break year has completely broken wrong for Jennings so far. The reality is that this is going to cost him a lot of money. In four NFL seasons, he has one truly strong year and then a few good years. When you add in this poor season, anyone paying him should realize that there is significant risk. 

More than that, if you watch the 49ers, it is not the role that Jennings plays that is missing from the offense. Jennings is a great blocker, but the 49ers added Kendrick Bourne, who can block as well, and right now he is producing more than Jennings. 

The thought around the league is that Jennings was a product of the 49ers' offensive scheme, and they can plug anyone in. If Jennings is viewed as anyone, is he really going to make real money?

The 49ers may not be interested in paying Jennings at the end of the season, and no one team may be comfortable giving him a real raise, either. It will be interesting to see if Jennings can get his play together and come out with a strong second half. That is the only chance he has at a legitimate pay raise.