The Kansas City Chiefs have had a nice start to free agency. They made a big splash with the signing of Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker. They've also made several underrated moves to restock their defense. They also re-signed wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, but there is still a significant need for more help at that position.
One of the top free-agent wide receivers of this offseason was former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings. With the signing of Walker to a significant deal and several smaller defensive signings, the Chiefs just don't have enough cap space to sign one of the top free-agent wide receivers. After all, the top free agents at the position frequently get north of $20 million per year.
That's the kind of deal that Jauan Jennings was likely looking for when free agency started, but unfortunately for Jennings, that deal hasn't materialized. At this point, the big deals are drying up, and the likelihood of a big deal happening is very slim. That is why the pairing of Jennings and the Chiefs feels like a perfect fit at this point in free agency. The Chiefs could use a reliable possession receiver, and Jennings could use playing with Patrick Mahomes and all the prime-time exposure that comes with that to raise his profile for another run at free agency next season.
Why Jauan Jennings would fit with the Kansas City Chiefs
While on paper, people may question Jennings' fit with KC, given that he has frequently been used as a big slot and the same can be said for Rashee Rice, the two are very different players. Rice is more of a run-after-the-catch player, and Jennings is more of a sure-handed possession receiver who makes tough catches over the middle of the field and in the red zone. There is no reason that Jennings couldn't be used in multi-receiver packages along with Rice.
In fact, he would be a good fit to play some of the snaps that JuJu Smith-Schuster played last season. Jennings may not be an elite blocker, but his physical size and aggressive play style would make him a good fit for that role. The difference is that Jennings would also be a reliable offensive weapon and someone that Mahomes could trust to move the chains.
The Chiefs don't have much cap space left currently, but they still have several cap-clearing moves that they could make, including restructuring Chris Jones' deal. If Jennings would be willing to take a one-year deal to try to prove he is worthy of a bigger payday, KC could make the space for him, and it seems like a good match.
It would also free up the Chiefs even more in the NFL Draft. Brett Veach has typically not wanted to "have" to target any specific positions in the draft, and currently, wide receiver would definitely need to be drafted early on. Signing Jennings could change that and would allow them to restock even more on defense in the draft.
Jennings' cap number last season for the 49ers was just over $9 million. While Jennings might not get the multi-year deal for more than $20 million per year, a one-year deal in the $12–15 million range would still be the biggest payout of his career and would leave the door open to get an even bigger deal next year in free agency.
Signing Jennings might not have seemed possible given KC's cap situation at the start of free agency, but his lack of a market for a long-term, big-money deal could now work to their advantage. Brett Veach should go out and see if he can use Patrick Mahomes as a lure to hook the wideout to a deal that could be mutually beneficial to both sides.