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San Francisco, California: Jauan Jennings Turns Down a Trade Back to the 49ers and Stays With the Vikings

Reports say the 49ers and Vikings had a trade framework in place, but the deal needed Jennings to say yes on a FaceTime call with Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, and he said no.

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San Francisco, California: Jauan Jennings Turns Down a Trade Back to the 49ers and Stays With the Vikings

Key points

  • San Francisco wanted Jauan Jennings back.
  • The San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings had the framework of a trade in place that would have sent the wide receiver back to the team he spent his first five NFL seasons with, according…
  • Fox Sports, which first reported the news on Sunday, Nov. 1, said a trade had been arranged contingent on Jennings' approval.

San Francisco wanted Jauan Jennings back. Jennings said no.

The San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings had the framework of a trade in place that would have sent the wide receiver back to the team he spent his first five NFL seasons with, according to reports on Sunday and Monday. The deal fell apart because it needed Jennings himself to approve it, and he declined.

A FaceTime call that ended the deal

Fox Sports, which first reported the news on Sunday, Nov. 1, said a trade had been arranged contingent on Jennings' approval. USA Today reported that, under the plan described by Fox Sports reporter Jay Glazer, Jennings had to sign off during a FaceTime call with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

That call happened, and it did not go the way San Francisco hoped. "He said, 'Actually, no, I want to stay here in Minnesota,'" Glazer reported Jennings told them.

ESPN reported that the Vikings gave Jennings, in his first season with Minnesota, a voice in the process. The 29-year-old believes in the team's direction, ESPN reported, and the organization views him as a key part of the offense.

Why San Francisco called

The 49ers are 6-1 and short at wide receiver. Ricky Pearsall, De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson are on injured reserve, and Deebo Samuel Sr. is dealing with a hamstring injury while Mike Evans is dealing with an Achilles injury, Field Level Media reported. San Francisco has been looking for receiver help ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, and it has already completed one reunion, bringing defensive tackle DeForest Buckner back in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts.

Jennings was a known fit. The 49ers drafted him in the seventh round in 2020, and he played his first five seasons in San Francisco before the team elected not to re-sign him in the offseason.

His season in Minnesota

Jennings signed a one-year deal with the Vikings in May. The deal carries a base salary of $8 million, with incentives that could pay him as much as $13 million, Field Level Media reported.

His numbers are modest so far. He entered Sunday with four catches on eight targets for 43 yards, and he had played 71 percent of the offensive snaps, 234 in all, across five games with two starts this season. On Sunday, playing behind starters Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, he caught two passes on two targets for 11 yards as the Vikings lost 19-15 at Detroit. Minnesota, at 6-1, was the last team to fall from the unbeaten ranks.

The trade deadline is Nov. 10. San Francisco still needs a receiver, and Jennings has now made clear that the answer will not be him.

Timeline

  1. 2020The San Francisco 49ers draft Jauan Jennings in the seventh round. He goes on to play his first five NFL seasons with the team.
  2. May 2026Jennings signs a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings after San Francisco elects not to re-sign him.
  3. Nov 1, 2026Fox Sports reports that a trade sending Jennings back to the 49ers was arranged contingent on his approval, and that he declined it.
  4. Nov 2, 2026Field Level Media and ESPN reports add that the Vikings gave Jennings a voice in the process and that he believes in the team's direction.

Sources