Jennings Ends Free Agency Wait, Signs With Vikings on One-Year Deal
The waiting is over. Jauan Jennings and the Minnesota Vikings agreed to a one-year contract Thursday, ending a two-month free agency stretch that neither side expected to last this long.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jennings and Minnesota agreed to a deal with a base salary of $8 million and a max value of $13 million if incentives are met. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed the deal to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The signing fills the vacancy left by Jalen Nailor, who departed for the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $35 million deal in free agency. Nailor had been Minnesota’s WR3 for the past two seasons. Jennings arrives as a more accomplished replacement at a fraction of the projected cost. OverTheCap had pegged Jennings’ market value at $16.7 million annually entering free agency.
Jennings became a free agent two years ago on the heels of a solid performance in Super Bowl LVIII and re-signed with the 49ers on a modest deal. After generating 975 yards in 2024, he sought a raise. The 49ers added $3 million in play-time incentives rather than a new contract, and after the season ended, San Francisco moved on — signing veteran Mike Evans to a three-year, $60.4 million deal and drafting Ole Miss receiver De’Zhaun Stribling in the second round.
In 2025, Jennings played 15 of 17 regular-season games and finished with 55 receptions for 643 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns. The production came largely because he was the last man standing at receiver. Brandon Aiyuk missed the entire season after tearing an ACL, and Ricky Pearsall battled knee and ankle injuries throughout the year, leaving Jennings as San Francisco’s primary wideout for long stretches.
NFL officials at the league meetings said Jennings was asking for too much money, given the uncertainty about whether he could replicate his numbers outside of Kyle Shanahan’s system. One head coach was quoted as saying he had “outplayed his talent.” The market never materialized. Jennings visited the Vikings last week and left without a deal, raising questions about whether a signing would happen at all. It did — on Thursday night.
In Minnesota, Jennings joins a receiving corps already stocked with talent. Justin Jefferson operates as the clear WR1. Jordan Addison, a 2023 first-round pick who has yet to produce a 1,000-yard season, profiles as the WR2. Tight end T.J. Hockenson is a featured target in Kevin O’Connell’s scheme. Jennings slots in at WR3, with third-year receiver Tai Felton behind him.
The quarterback situation adds intrigue. The Vikings signed Kyler Murray to a one-year deal paying just $1.3 million of his $36.8 million 2026 salary, with the Arizona Cardinals covering the remainder following their decision to release him. Murray, J.J. McCarthy, and Carson Wentz are competing for the starting job. O’Connell has declined to name a starter.
Whether Murray or McCarthy takes the first snap in Week 1, they will be fully stocked with targets. For Jennings, the opportunity is real. A prove-it season in Minnesota, in an offense with structural similarities to San Francisco’s, sets up the kind of 2027 free agency run he was hoping for this spring.