Jennings set up for next 49ers contract extension, but when?

The list of projected 49ers free agents after this season is considerably shorter.

And that certainly is a good thing for an organization that took some lumps at the outset of this year's free-agent signing period.

The 49ers were not active in the market this spring, and a dozen or so of their starters and key contributors found employment elsewhere.

Wide receiver Jauan Jennings and right tackle Colton McKivitz are the 49ers’ top players with contracts set to expire following the upcoming season.

Jennings was the 49ers’ top wideout last season, and he could be in line for a big payday.

One prominent NFL agent who represents wide receivers told NBC Sports Bay Area that Jennings’ next contract could pay him anywhere from $11 million to $15 million per season.

“Think Jakobi Meyers,” the agent said.

Meyers, 29, signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 after four seasons with the New England Patriots.

Meyers is coming off his best season in 2024. He caught 87 passes for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns.

With a rising salary cap, Jennings’ next deal figures to exceed Meyers’ pay out.

Jennings took advantage of his increased playing time last season to post a career-bests of 77 catches for 975 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games.

He is scheduled to enter the second year of a two-year, $15.4 million contract extension that he signed a year ago as a restricted free agent.

With the receiver market continuing to explode, Jennings is setting himself up for a big contract — whenever that time comes.

There currently are 21 receivers making more than $20 million per year. Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase tops the list with an annual average of $40.25 million with the four-year extension he signed in March.

The question is how high the 49ers will go to retain Jennings on a multi-year extension.

The 49ers and Brandon Aiyuk ended a contentious contract impasse last summer with their agreement on a four-year, $120 million extension.

San Francisco selected Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Aiyuk and Pearsall could be projected as the 49ers' future starters.

This offseason, the 49ers traded Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round draft pick.

Aiyuk’s status early this season is unknown as he continues physical therapy to return from surgery to repair a torn ACL.

Aside from Jennings, Aiyuk and Pearsall, the 49ers’ depth at wide receiver consists of veteran Demarcus Robinson, second-year player Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins, a rookie whom the 49ers selected in the fourth round.

If the sides work on an extension before the start of the season, Jennings likely would take a little less in order to reduce the risks involved with making it through the season before he reaches unrestricted free agency.

But if Jennings bets on himself and posts big numbers, he likely would cash in and price himself out of the 49ers’ market in 2026.

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