Jauan Jennings’ price may be too high for Saints

By Ross Jackson

The New Orleans Saints sit with approximately $13.9 million still available for additional free agency signings as well as the expense of their incoming draft class.

The team still has enough to add more talent on the open market, should it desire and, based on what we heard at the NFL Annual Meeting at the beginning of the month, have continued to have conversations with available free agents.

One of this year’s best free agents remains available at a position the Saints are expected to address before the new season begins: wide receiver Jauan Jennings.

While Jennings would be an excellent addition for the Saints’ receiver room, he may end up pricing out of the Saints’ range. At least that sounds like that’s been the case across the league so far, per The Atletic’s Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur. 

“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.

‘He’s outplayed his talent,’ one head coach said.”

Jennings is an impressive player. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver is a smooth route runner with a physical play style. He’s a tough assignment to both guard and tackle as he can run through contact once he picks up steam. He’s not a breakaway runner (4.72 40-yard dash during his 2020 Scouting Combine workouts) but is a productive pass-catcher, leading the San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver room in receiving yards in each of the last two years.

Despite all of the pluses he brings to the game and the value he could bring to New Orleans, the pay has to scale appropriately. Could the Saints swing another big deal for Jennings? Of course. The contract could be handled in such a way that it keeps the first-year cap hit low while raising in future years, much like each of the deals already handed out to the team’s impressive free agency class.

However, the hurdle isn’t so much whether or not the Saints could afford the deal. Instead, it is the perceived value of the role weighted against the asking price of the player.

New Orleans has a pair of wide receivers leading its room already in Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele. Olave could be on the way to a big extension with the team within the next year and the Saints are in prime position to draft a new addition in the early rounds of this year’s NFL Draft.

Spending big on a second or third wide receiver option that could see their role impacted by a draft pick may not be the most wise way to approach building around quarterback Tyler Shough. The Saints would potentially need flexibility by way of incentives or escalators instead in an attempt to keep the value of the contract relative to the value of the contributions on the field. 

Jennings could be a promising addition to the Saints’ wide receiver room. But managing funds and keeping salary cap health trending in the right direction for New Orleans must be a priority. Exchanging long-term risk for a short-term contract doesn’t match the judicious approach the team has taken thus far. Should Jennings eventually become a New Orleans Saint, it will have to be because the contract agreement was palatable for both sides.