Jennings on rebuffing return to 49ers - I love where I'm at - ESPN

EAGAN, Minn. — Jauan Jennings explained Saturday why he voiced a desire to remain with the Minnesota Vikings earlier this season, despite a steep production decline, as the team discussed a trade that would have returned him to the San Francisco 49ers, where he played the first six seasons of his career.

«I just thought it was best for both teams,» Jennings told ESPN. «No distractions. I love where I'm at.»

Jennings, who signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Vikings in June, will miss Monday night's game against the Buffalo Bills because of a strained calf that he suffered in practice this week. He missed a game in Week 2 while grieving the death of a family member, but in six appearances this season he has only 10 targets on 145 routes run. He has caught six of those passes for 54 yards, his lowest totals through eight weeks of a season since he was a part-time player with the 49ers in 2021.

Much of that can be explained by the Vikings' intention to maximize targets to receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, as well as their use of tight end T.J. Hockenson as a safety valve in the middle of the field. The 49ers presumably had more robust plans for Jennings given their injuries this season at the position.

«I'm not the coach, so I don't call the plays,» Jennings said. «I'm a player, so I just play the game. I feel like anybody who watches football, who watches sports in general, kind of understands what comes with it.»

Jennings was particularly demonstrative on the sideline during a Week 5 victory at the New Orleans Saints, at one point pounding the turf on the sideline after he and quarterback Kyler Murray could not connect on a deep pass. The Vikings had signed veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to