Why the 49ers Should Extend Jauan Jennings' Contract

Jennings caught just 19 passes last season, so he probably would cost the 49ers roughly $5 million per year.

Instead of giving Brandon Aiyuk a contract extension that's worth more than $30 million per season, the 49ers should trade him now and extend Jauan Jennings' contract.

Jennings has just one year left on his deal as well, and he'd be much cheaper to extend than Aiyuk, who will be one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL soon. And Aiyuk will be worth that much money on a team with a strong-armed quarterback who will pass the ball to Aiyuk more than 150 times per season. As opposed to Jennings, who is perfect for the 49ers.

Jennings is a good route runner who can beat man-to-man coverage, which the 49ers will see often as long as Brock Purdy is their quarterback. Jennings also is a big wide receiver who can make acrobatic catches over the middle, which is exactly what Purdy needs, considering he doesn't have a strong arm and throws most of his passes between the numbers on the field.

Jennings caught just 19 passes last season, so he probably would cost the 49ers roughly $5 million per year. Jennings is much slower than Aiyuk and lines up only in the slot. But Jennings also played much better than Aiyuk during the playoffs this past season.

Aiyuk caught 9 passes on 20 targets, while Jennings caught 10 passes on 13 targets. If the 49ers trade Aiyuk, they could give Jennings 60 or 70 targets next season and his production could explode.

All the more reason to extend his contract now while he's still affordable.