49ers top WR projected to join bitter rival

One of the San Francisco 49ers' top impending offensive free agents could be on the move this offseason.

Receiver Jauan Jennings, who had a contract dispute with the team ahead of the 2025 season before he agreed to a restructured deal, will likely be a sought-after free agent in a shallow open market for his position. While the 49ers would likely prefer to bring him back (especially with uncertainty around the rest of the receivers), it's unclear if Jennings would prefer to stay with the team that drafted him in 2020 or if he'd like to explore greener pastures elsewhere.

ESPN's Aaron Schatz predicts it will be the latter and that Jennings will sign with the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks.

This signing would achieve a couple of goals for the Seahawks. It would give them a receiver to replace Rashid Shaheed if he leaves in free agency. Furthermore, Jennings is a strong run blocker and the Seahawks still want to be a run-first offense.

New offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is familiar with Jennings from his time in San Francisco, and adding Jennings would bring the benefit of taking away from an important division rival. Jennings had nine touchdowns last season but was even better in 2024, when he ranked 12th in ESPN's receiver scores.

The Fleury connection is a big one, as it would give Jennings a true stabilizing force in a new environment. There is also a clear path to production in Seattle behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba if Shaheed leaves. Cooper Kupp and Tory Horton are still there, but Jennings has the right mix of veteran and youth to give Seattle more weapons as they defend their Super Bowl.

Jennings was very productive for San Francisco this year despite battling injuries all year. He finished with 59 receptions for 969 yards and a team-high eight scores. Losing Jennings would be huge for the 49ers given their lack of depth at the position, but they may not be able to, or willing, to meet his contract demands — like they were a year ago.

If Jennings (as well as Kendrick Bourne and likely Brandon Aiyuk) leaves, the 49ers will be left with a pretty depleted unit comprised of Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Demarcus Robinson, Skyy Moore, Jordan Watkins, and Malik Turner.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL free agency: 49ers WR Jauan Jennings projected to join Seahawks