49ers film foom: Why the 49ers re-signed Jauan Jennings

He's got that dawg in him.

Last week the 49ers re-signed Jauan Jennings to a two-year contract worth $15.39 million, including $10.54 million in guarantees. $8.43 million of that was fully guaranteed at signing. As a thank you from the 49ers, Jennings received $6.21 million at the time of the signing.

This doesn’t seem like much, but the 49ers are never really keen on re-signing receivers to an extension like this if they aren’t Deebo Samuel (Aiyuk obviously isn’t signed yet, as of this writing). The contract for Jennings is well-earned though and will keep him with the 49ers for the next twpo seasons at least. He has void years through 2029 but anything after 2025 would likely come with a reworked contract.

The value here is pretty good. A cursory glance at 2023 play-by-play data reveals that Jennings caught 22 passes for 1st downs last season, 12 of which came on 3rd down, and 4 of those came in the playoffs. On nine separate drives where Jennings caught a third down conversion, the 49ers either kicked a field goal or touchdown.

And he very likely would've been the Super Bowl MVP had their final play in overtime been a completed pass because he'd have had a walk-in touchdown on that play and would have ended the game with two receiving touchdowns and one passing touchdown. No doubt this was a well earned contract extension.

Biggest contribution as a receiver: third down catches

His best attribute was listed above: his ability to convert 3rd down catches to first downs. And it’s not just converting them. It’s converting them in difficult situations where it looks like he won’t make the first down, an attribute he brought with him from college to the NFL.

The 49ers offense, facing a 3rd-and-7 here in week 12 late in the first 1st quarter versus Seattle, scored a touchdown on this drive that would end up being the go-ahead touchdown early in the 2nd quarter. Before Christian McCaffrey punched it in from one yard out, Jennings made a catch and looked liked he’d be stopped short of the line to gain after he was pushed back.

But being the “bulldog” that he is, he fought and clawed his way to a first down to extend the drive. Running a choice route from the slot, he’s automatically the hot read for Brock Purdy as the quarterback identified the blitz and went right to Jennnings. It took four Seahawks defenders before Jennings was finally tackled at the line to gain.

When he was drafted in 2020, Shanahan explicitly stated that it was this attribute and mentality that led to them drafting him:

“When you watch this tape, you know a lot of people in this League are going to love him. He was one of our most favorite guys to watch. He’s a bulldog. He usually plays in the slot. I feel like he could probably play linebacker if he wants. He’s willing to fight everybody out there. He fights for yards. He makes plays, and there’s a mindset to that guy that you don’t have to talk to him to hear about.”

He had another catch like this versus the Packers in the divisional round.

He ends up in the slot again just like the play above versus Seattle but the 49ers motion to empty this time and aren’t in a condensed formation. He’s running a choice route again, settles in the zone versus the Packers cover-2 shell to that side, and on 2nd-and-9, he ends up picking up 12 yards as De’Vondre Campbell brings him down.

Jennings made Quay Walker miss and gained additional yardage with his cut inside up the field. The offense got into scoring position on this drive at the end of the half but stalled when Jake Moody’s kick was blocked for being too low off his foot.

And in the Super Bowl specifically, Jennings made a few of the game’s bigger catches for the 49ers offense. He only caught three passes but on one drive, he caught two including a touchdown pass on a drive he had a third down conversion catch on.

His first positive yardage catch of the game came late in the 3rd quarter (his first catch of the game was an eight yard loss on a broken play action pass).

On 3rd-and-5 working against Joshua Williams, the Chiefs dime defensive back, Jennings was able to shake him on the press jam, causing Williams to lose his feet a bit and allowing Jennings to get open. As he so often does, if you give him space, he’s going to fight and claw to get yards. With the offense needing five, he picked 17 running the quick out.

Later on the drive, he caught his touchdown pass after taking a huge hit at the goal line where he didn’t go down.

He’s split out wide to the right against the Chiefs man coverage. They’re running a cover-0 blitz pressure here and with Jennings on the “now” slant underneath, he automatically becomes the primary target as the hot read receiver. Aiyuk’s route pulls the safety out of the middle of the field, opening a lane for Purdy to hit Jennings in stride.

L’Jarius Sneed is unable to wrap him up low after the catch. Jennings spins out of the tackle, takes a hit from Mike Edwards, and rumbles into the end zone for a touchdown. What would have otherwise been a potentially game changing play ended up keeping the Chiefs in the game when Moody again missed another kick, kicking the extra point low off his ankle and into the defensive line.

Later in the 4th quarter, he made a difficult catch over the middle when he snagged a bit of a high pass out of the air and had enough awareness to protect himself from a big hit.

He nearly spun out of the tackle too at mid field but it was nonetheless a big play and catch at a moment the 49ers really needed one.

Downfield blocking and run blocking

In addition to making difficult catches for the 49ers on third down, one of his better attributes that goes unnoticed is his run blocking ability. In the 49ers offense, receivers won’t get on the field if they won’t or can’t run block. Among receivers with at least 140 run blocking snaps, Jennings graded as the 4th best run blocker in the NFL per Pro Football Focus.

He’s always been an exceptional blocker since he came into the NFL. In the Super Bowl, he had a key block on his own touchdown drive when he cracked blocked defensive end Mike Danna on an 8-yard run to the perimeter by Christian McCaffrey.

He’s a violent physical blocker over the middle of the field in the run game too, throwing several key blocks and pancaking defenders in the process.

Against Arizona in week 15, Kyle Shanahan used Jennings as the insert blocker on several big runs in that game in the second half on his zone insert running game concept. On all three plays in that cut-up above, Jennings buried Budda Baker, one time coming down the line of scrimmage and twice as the insert lead blocker.

In the divisional round, Jennings block sprung George Kittle for a 35-yard gain on a pass play that would set up the 49ers to score on the very next play.

In the clip, Jennings drives Carrington Valentine into the Packers sideline and water table well out of bounds as Kittle is racing by.

The broadcast angle showed a great clip of the block as well.

Outlook

He isn’t the fastest or most explosive receiver but he’s demonstrated his versatility as a pass catcher time and time again with his toughness and has become somewhat of an enforcer on the offense with carefully timed ways to get under the skin of opposing players.

Above all, he epitomizes this era’s brand of tough, physical, 49ers football. No doubt Jennings earned a well-deserved extension that solidifies his presence for the foreseeable future as a 49er.