Will the 49ers use the rare franchise tag on Jennings or Piñeiro?

SANTA CLARA – Jauan Jennings was just beginning his farewell address when he was asked if he would be happy to attract the 49ers’ franchise tag.

That would come with a payday of about $28 million next season, which is a steep cost for the 49ers but not the multi-year guarantee Jennings could pick up next month when he hits free agency for the first time in his career.

“I’ll have to talk to my boy Drew to see what that’s all about,” Jennings replied last month as he and 49 others checked out their lockers.

His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, also represents kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who may be too attractive to the 49ers to use their franchise tag, even if it is $7 million.

Starting Tuesday at 1pm PT, teams have two weeks to exercise their franchise tag and thus limit player movement while attracting only the team’s maximum salary for next season.

Both Jennings and Piñeiro were part of this past season’s push to the NFC divisional round, when a tired and neglected 49ers bowed out to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks.

There is plenty of time for negotiations for any potential free agents. Rosenhaus did not immediately return the news agency’s message seeking comment on Tuesday.

The franchise tag hasn’t been the way to go for the 49ers as coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch enter their 10th season. Only kicker Robbie Gould drew a tag from under them, and, instead of playing in it, ended up agreeing to a contract extension.

Free agency negotiations are allowed to begin on March 9 and contracts can be approved as soon as March 11, including trades.

Franchise tag candidates in the NFL include wide receivers George Pickens (Cowboys) and Alec Pierce (Colts), defensive end Trey Hendrickson (Bengals), Kyle Pitts (Falcons), and running backs Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks) and Breece Hall (Jets).

Last year, the 49ers released a number of veterans, especially on defense, to overhaul their roster and payroll. More changes are inevitable in the coming month, but it is not the same as last year’s clarification. This year’s crop of upcoming free agents is headlined by Jennings, all thanks to Piñeiro’s savior presence last season.

“He’s my guy. I love playing with him and everything we’ve been through,” linebacker Brock Purdy said last month of Jennings. “He’s a war dad in that whenever you step on the field, you know you’re going to get your best and everything from JJ. Obviously, I want my boy back.”

Training camp last summer revealed that Jennings might not return, however. He wanted to be traded before camp, then the calf issue sidelined him after just a few practices, when he wanted a raise that ended up being $3 million in bonuses.

The 49ers have the cash to pay more this offseason, helped by shedding Brandon Aiyuk’s $27 million guarantee as he is expected to be removed from their roster after missing last season’s knee rehab.

Jennings was a 2020 seventh-round pick in Tennessee, his home state where he could return in free agency to join a Tennessee Titans franchise in need of a big-play receiver under new coach Robert Saleh, the former 49ers defensive coordinator.

When Jennings was asked about free agency when he cleaned out his 49ers locker last month, he replied: “It was my first time, we’ll see how it goes.”

Using his physical and dynamic style, Jennings has excelled as the 49ers’ Third-and-Jean coordinator. He went a total of 10 of 22 touchdowns on third downs, and 69-of-87 third-down catches led to first downs.

Last season, Jennings had just 643 yards (55th in the NFL) but scored nine touchdown receptions, including eighth in the NFL. Jennings caught 55-of-90 passes in the regular season and seven resulted in interceptions. He also threw a touchdown to Christian McCaffrey in the wild card playoff game at Philadelphia.

Jennings emerged as the 49ers’ leading wide receiver in 2024 when Aiyuk was injured, totaling 77 catches (one shy of George Kittle’s team lead) for 975 yards and six touchdowns.

If the 49ers choose to tag Piñeiro as their franchise player, it wouldn’t be a surprise considering how he strengthened their special teams after Jake Moody’s passing in Week 2. One of Piñeiro’s 32 missed field goal attempts all season was a 64-yarder off the crossbar in Indianapolis to close out the first half on Dec. 22. He missed five points after the kick (41 attempts).

Another 49 are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents: wide receivers Kendrick Bourne, Skyy Moore and Trent Taylor; running backs Brian Robinson and Patrick Taylor Jr.; defensive linemen Jordan Elliott, Yetur Gross-Matos, Kevin Givens, and Clelin Ferrell; offensive linemen Spencer Burford, Ben Bartch, and Matt Hennessy; linebackers Luke Gifford, Eric Kendricks, Curtis Robinson, and Garrett Wallow; safety Jason Pinnock; long snapper Jon Weeks; and, punter Thomas Morstead.