Keep, Cut or Trade: Debating What the Vikings Should Do With Jauan Jennings

The buzz surrounding a potential move involving Vikings wide receiver Jauan Jennings has now grown into a roar over the bye week. After a less-than-ideal start to the season, the debate over what to do with the underwhelming receiver is in full swing, and the Vikings may have a decision to make over the next week or two.

Jennings is the Vikings' WR3, but sits 12th on the team in receiving yards with just nine. His usual calling card of strong run-blocking hasn't been effective either, with just a 30.3 grade from Pro Football Focus. So, impressive past seasons aside, it's getting a bit hard for Minnesota to justify keeping Jennings on the field in 2026.

The best path forward for the Vikings could involve keeping Jennings, trading him, or just a flat out cut. Let's dig in to each option and determine how Minnesota should handle their disappointing offseason aquisition.

Keep

Head coach Kevin O'Connell has spoken multiple times about his desire to find ways to get Jennings more involved. Ahead of the bye, he mentioned that his staff would use that time to figure out how to get Jennings activated. So it does seem that the Vikings are intent on getting this thing to work—at least for now.

The 2-4 Colts—who allow the 12th-most receiving yards per game and eighth-most yards per reception—could be a tantalizing opportunity to fix those woes in Week 7. With Kyler Murray ascending as well, the excuses for Jennings are drying up quickly.

Jauan Jennings lines up. — Jauan Jennings is running out of opportunities to prove to the Vikings why he should stick around. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Vikings can get Jennings going with even just a respectable stat line, there should be no rush to deal him with the deadline still three weeks away. Tai Felton, Myles Price and even Odell Beckham Jr. don't exactly elevate the WR3 spot either, so a move off of Jennings would also likely require another deal, complicating a theoretical trade.

If Jennings can settle into this offense over the next few weeks, the Vikings can feel a little bit better about their one-year rental.

Trade

If Jennings is stymied again against the Colts, the trade talks are going to turn into trade screams. And while the lack of production may force the Vikings to explore options, plenty of other contenders could find value in the veteran.

The 49ers' list of injuries is long, making a reunion with their former player a possible option. The Vikings may not be too keen to make a deal with their top threat in the NFC, however, and would have to be blown away in order to trade Jennings to the Niners.

Other teams have surely called, or will be calling, and if the Vikings could net a fifth-round pick, a deal seems plausible. The team trading for Jennings would be responsible for what's left on his one-year deal, and a squad that thinks it's a receiver away from contention could be comfortable with the price tag. A deal would create over $5 million in salary cap savings for the Vikings, who'd also take on $4.5 million in dead money, according to Spotrac.

Still, a deal involving picks won't make the Vikings better today, and at 5-0, they'll almost certainly need to make a corresponding move.

Cut

The only way Jennings gets cut is if no team offers anything for him, and his presence on the Vikings has become toxic.

While not impossible, a cut is the least likely option, and either a trade or just sending him further down the depth chart is much more realistic. A potential cut would also leave the Vikings with more dead money ($6.1 million) than a trade would.

Still, if Jennings continues to regress in Minnesota and things get chippy, a straight-up cut can't be ruled out.

Verdict: Vikings should keep Jauan Jennings

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