Are the 49ers in the Market for a Slot Receiver?

They recently were linked to free agent slot receiver Tyler Boyd. Why?

The 49ers may need to replace one of their top wide receivers next season, and I'm not talking Brandon Aiyuk.

Aiyuk and the 49ers most likely will come to an agreement on a massive contract extension at some point in August -- that's how the 49ers do business with players they want to keep around for a while. They did the same thing with Deebo Samuel two years ago.

Samuel and Aiyuk are starters and cornerstones of the offense, the 49ers ultimately will do what it takes to keep them.

Jauan Jenning is another story. He's the third wide receiver on a team that starts just two, and he will be an unrestricted free agent next year. The 49ers could extend his contract now, just as they extended Colton McKivitz's contract a few weeks ago, but they most likely won't. Which means Jennings probably will hit the market next year and sign somewhere else.

That's why the 49ers are in the market for a slot receiver. They recently were linked to free agent slot receiver Tyler Boyd, and if they don't sign him, they almost certainly will take a slot receiver in the upcoming draft.

Because while the 49ers like Jennings, they don't feature him in their offense -- he was a complete afterthought until the Super Bowl when he took over. Expect them to treat him the way they treated Kendrick Bourne a few years ago. They tendered him when he was a restricted free agent, then they let him leave a year later.