Why 49ers TE Kittle believes ‘violent’ Jennings is ‘1 of 1′ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
When the news hit that Jauan Jennings was staying in the Bay with the 49ers through at least the 2025 NFL season, the wide receiver was welcomed back — both in person at the 49ers facility and online by the Faithful — with the widest of open arms.
But perhaps no one was as thrilled as 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle.
“I think every single person in NFL that watches tape, every general manager, every scout, anybody that watches tape, they look at Jauan’s film, they’re like, ‘Holy cow, this guy is one of one,’ ” Kittle told reporters Wednesday (h/t 49ers WebZone). “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 would talk about with [former receiver] Pierre Garçon.
“He just is 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’ll hit linebackers as hard as he can. He’s not scared of anything. And if you need him to win on a one-on-one rep, he’s going to win on that one-on-one rep. He’s got incredibly strong hands.”
Jennings signed a new contract with San Francisco on Wednesday that locks him up with the Red and Gold for the next two seasons. The 49ers originally tendered Jennings as a restricted free agent this offseason with a one-year, $4.89 million contract.
The 26-year-old’s new contract is worth up to $15.4 million over the next two seasons, with $10.5 million in guaranteed money, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday, citing agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus.
Alongside 49ers star receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, Jennings has been a valuable asset to San Francisco’s offense — particularly on third down, where his “third-and-Jauan” moniker was developed.
Aside from his skillset and talent on the field, Kittle believes Jennings brings more to the team.
“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 every single day,” Kittle said. “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 something that you want to pay.
“That’s someone you want to reward because he’s just going to keep bringing that every single day, and he’s just going to raise the standard of everybody around him. So when you have a guy like that, that does everything, it’s great for us.”
After missing the 49ers’ first week of organized team activities, Jennings has attended the practice sessions this week.
And it’s clear that Kittle — above everyone else — is thrilled to have him back with the crew.