Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Jauan Jennings is still looking for a new home in the NFL.

Jennings is an NFL free agent for the first time in his career (not counting after he went undrafted in 2020) after spending the last six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

The former Vol has caught 210 passes for 2,581 yards and 22 touchdowns so far in his NFL career.

NFL head coach explains why Jauan Jennings is still a free agent

Jennings is extremely well-respected by teammates for the way he plays the game.

49ers superstar tight end George Kittle, in fact, said in 2024 that Jennings is “one of one”.

“Anyone that watches tape, they look at Jauan’s tape and go ‘holy cow, this guy is one of one,’” said Kittle. “His mindset and his attitude when he’s on a football field is completely different. He goes to that dark place that Coach (Kyle) Shanahan talks about…he is just very violent in the way that he plays the game — which you don’t see in all receivers. 

“He will hit defensive ends as hard as he can. He will hit linebackers as hard as he can. He’s not scared of anything. And if you need him to win a one-on-one rep, he’s going to win that one-on-one rep. Incredibly strong hands. For a guy that does it all, he runs the routes, he does the run game, he shows up every day loving the game with a great attitude. And then you get to game day and he makes all those plays. That’s someone that you want to be in your building. That’s someone that you want to pay. That’s someone that you want to reward because he’s just going to keep bringing it every day and it’s just going raise the standard around him. When you have a guy like that that does everything, it’s great for us.”

So why is Jennings still a free agent?

League officials told The Athletic this week that Jennings is simply asking for too much money.

“Why does Jauan Jennings, the 49ers’ top wide receiver the past two seasons, remain a free agent? League officials in Phoenix all had the same answer: He’s asking for too much money,” noted The Athletic’s Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur.

A head coach also told The Athletic that Jennings has “outplayed his talent”, which is one of the biggest backhanded compliments anyone can give to a player.

Jennings is a unique player. His value isn’t really in his production — though he has made some big catches in key moments for the 49ers. Jennings, who is known as third-and-Jauan in the Bay Area, likely would’ve been the MVP of Super Bowl LVIII had the 49ers won.

The former Vol’s value is in his competitiveness, his willingness to block through the whistle, and his laser focus on winning above his own stats. Jennings isn’t a flashy player, but he’s a winning player.

But unfortunately for Jennings, NFL teams would rather spend on flash over hustle.

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