The Kansas City Chiefs have had needs at the wide receiver position for several years now.
In 2025 they believed those needs were finally going to be satisfied. Xavier Worthy was entering his second season after a successful rookie year, Hollywood Brown was fully healthy, and Rashee Rice would be ready to go after serving his suspension. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.
Worthy was injured in Week 1, and although he returned in Week 4, he couldn’t get back into the groove he was in as a rookie. Brown was a solid contributor early on, but his production tapered off during the second half of the season. As for Rice, he showed plenty of glimpses of being a No. 1 receiver, but a suspension and concussion cost him a total of nine games.
The Chiefs have to be leery of Rice’s off-field troubles, and Brown is set to become a free agent. That means receiver is once again one of the team’s top needs. While joining Kay Adams on the “Up and Adams Show” on Tuesday, ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak named his top 5 free agent fits for the offseason, which featured a veteran receiver for Kansas City.
San Francisco 49ers WR Jauan Jennings named a fit for the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency
Jennings was a diamond in the rough for the 49ers as they selected him in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He was mostly a role player throughout his first three years, but did enough to earn a two-year, $15.4 million contract extension. Jennings rewarded San Francisco for its faith with a breakout 2024 season, catching 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns.
Now heading toward becoming a free agent, here’s what Solak said about Jennings being a fit for the Chiefs:
“The Chiefs need to be more willing to block with their receivers in the running game,” Solak said. “It’s the No. 1 limiting factor in their running game right now. Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown, these guys can’t block, so they can’t be multiple in how they run the football. Jauan Jennings with the 49ers was tough on third downs, makes hands catches, [and is] physical. He is an extremely willing blocker. He would bring a degree of physicality that the Chiefs desperately need at the position.”
Chiefs would benefit from adding a WR like Jauan Jennings
By now you know the type of receiver that the Chiefs’ brass likes – small and fast. While that has served them well in many ways, there is a time and place for a big, physical receiver, even in coach Andy Reid’s offensive system. At 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, Jennings fits that bill.
Jennings definitely isn’t the fastest receiver, but his sharp route running ability enables him to create separation. When he’s unable to do that, his big frame and strong hands allow him to make contested catches. Outside of Rice at times, the Chiefs don’t currently have a receiver like that on their roster.
Jennings would also provide another much-needed redzone threat for Kansas City. He set a career high in touchdown receptions in 2025 with nine. Chiefs fans remember Jennings well from Super Bowl LVIII when he recorded four catches for 42 yards and one touchdown, while also throwing a touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey on a trick play.
