His nickname is “Juice,” so maybe there shouldn’t be too much surprise about the descriptions tossed out about the beefy WR with the Vikings.
Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray was asked to describe his reaction to WR Jauan Jennings, somebody who used to play in the NFC West, as well. Murray told the Minnesota media the following: “I understand what type of competitor he is, he’s kind of given us fits for the past couple years. Just really a dog. Throw it his way, pretty, ugly, whatever way, it gets done. And that’s the type of guy, that’s the type of energy and juice he brings to a team.”
The Vikings Landed a Bruising WR3
Think snarl, compete, and grit. Jennings is the receiver version of a power forward for a second line in hockey. He’s got plenty of skill to stand alongside being someone who goes to the difficult areas, bringing bad intentions with him.
Predictably, teammates love that sort of thing (coaches, too).
The 28-year-old receiver surely attracted a lot of attention on the open market but had to wait until after the draft to get scooped up. Teams tend to start guarding their compensatory picks once the end of March approaches. The Monday after the draft — Monday, April 27th this year — is when comp picks no longer factor into the mix, creating a new willingness to spend on veterans. Jennings became a Viking on May 7th.
At the most basic level, Jauan Jennings is playing on a single-season deal for upwards of $13 million. Digging down a bit shows that his cap charge comes in at $9,530,000 (OTC). Earning the rest comes with precisely that caveat: earning the rest. Jennings needs to arrive at certain incentives.
Looking at his stats may leave somebody underwhelmed if the expectation is yardage totals that hover within the Justin Jefferson realm. Very few hang around in that zone.
Where he shines is as a blocker and touchdown scorer. At 6’3″ and roughly 215 pounds, Mr. Jennings boasts very good size for the position. He uses that large frame to bully defensive backs, allowing him to be a “dog” with “juice,” as Murray describes. His past pair of seasons have involved scoring a total of 15 touchdowns.
The Vikings need both areas of Jennings’ specialty. Losing last year’s red zone specialist — coach Brian Angelichio — can be offset by the boost in personnel. Moreover, the run game has never been good enough with Kevin O’Connell as the head coach. Does the physical, nasty WR3 push Minnesota toward competence in this area?
At the end of the day, there’s much that remains to be determined. All of the offseason hype is pretty cheap. Words, even from a talented quarterback, don’t put touchdowns on the board in September football. What’s needed is real production in real football games.
Jennings has played the duration of his career down in San Francisco since the 2020 NFL season. Pretty quietly, he’s been very good at what he does. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan unlocked him just as he did his other unique, high-compete, skill guys: FB Kyle Juszczyk, TE George Kittle, WR Deebo Samuel, WR Brandon Aiyuk, RB Christian McCaffrey, and others.
The Minnesota Vikings are hoping for some of that San Francisco magic with Jennings, leaning on his competitive physicality to give the team the “juice” that’s needed from the receiver who is known as a “dog.”
