49ers injury designations give disgruntled WR more leverage in contract talks
Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk both went on the PUP list as they recover from injuries ahead of training camp. Aiyuk starting camp on PUP isn't a surprise. He tore his ACL and MCL, and took additional damage in his knee in Week 7 last season. It doesn't sound like the club is eager to rush him back, so a training camp return isn't likely.
Pearsall landing on PUP changes the dynamic of the 49ers WR room and gives Jennings additional leverage as he seeks a contract extension with San Francisco.
We've already explored the 49ers' shaky WR depth and how there's a strong chance Jennings could land in the WR1 role like he did last season when he led the team's WRs with a career-best 975 yards. A potential holdup for the 49ers in dishing out a more lucrative contract to the 2020 seventh-round pick is what his role looks like in the future. Paying him as a WR1 or WR2 isn't something they were banking on after giving Aiyuk a massive extension last offseason and drafting Pearsall in the first round of last year's draft.
There were question marks about Pearsall's ability to stay healthy after he missed virtually all of last year's camp with hamstring and shoulder injuries. Those question marks resurfaced again in OTAs this year when Pearsall sat out because of a hamstring injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated during OTAs that Pearsall's absence was cautionary and that he'd be ready for training camp.
That Pearsall is on PUP to start camp is a significant red flag for the second-year WR. It also puts the top of the 49ers WR depth chart into more flux. Jennings' claim to a new contract hinges on the stability he brings to a group clouded by uncertainty. He's been on the 49ers' active roster for four seasons and has played in 60 games. In 2023 he missed four total games, but outside of that he's never missed more than two in a season.
It appears going into camp this year that Jennings will be the 49ers' WR1 by a significant margin. Even if Pearsall returns and has a strong preseason, his injury questions will linger and there's still no certainty around Aiyuk for this season and beyond.
The 49ers may have been able to justify not extending Jennings if they could stand behind Pearsall as WR1 and Aiyuk as an eventual WR2 this season. That becomes much more difficult to do with Pearsall out to begin camp. There's a significant risk in potentially losing or rocking the boat with Jennings and sending the 49ers' WR corps into a tailspin that derails their offense into 2025. That dramatically outweighs the risk of financial complications with a new contract for Jennings.
If the answer wasn't clear for San Francisco before, the PUP list designations should help.
More 49ers: 49ers need huge year from their non-QB MVP if they're going to return to playoffs in 2025
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Ricky Pearsall injury changes Jauan Jennings contract talks for 49ers
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US women's national team knocked off top spot by Spain in FIFA's latest rankings
ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) — The U.S. was knocked off the top spot in FIFA's latest women's rankings by world champion Spain. Spain regained the No. 1 position despite losing to England in the final of the European Championship last month. The U.S. held the top position since August last year after winning gold at the Paris Olympics. Spain was No. 1 from December 2023 to June last year after its World Cup triumph. The latest rankings were released by world governing body FIFA on Thursday. England, which has won back-to-back Euros and lost to Spain in the final at the 2023 World Cup, moved up one place to fourth. Brazil dropped three positions and is seventh despite successfully defending the Copa America to win its ninth continental title. Sweden and France were big movers after impressive showings at the Euros. Sweden rose three places and is third after being eliminated on penalties by England in the quarterfinals. France moved up four places to sixth after also losing in the quarterfinals. ___ AP soccer: The Associated Press
USA Today
6 minutes ago
- USA Today
When is NFL Week 1? Starting date, schedule, matchups, how to watch
Summer is starting to wind down. Students are heading back to school, the days are getting shorter and hope is in the air. That hope is rampant in the sports world, especially in the NFL. This time of the year is when fanbases across the league are most optimistic about how things could turn out in 2025. Free agency additions, coaching changes and highly-regarded draft picks; they're all the elements of a positive outlook on the upcoming season. The summer marching on means the NFL draft and free agency are far behind us. Teams will have cut rosters down from more than 70 players to 53 ahead of the regular season. Preseason action will help in those roster decisions. Three games - four for the Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions, thanks to the Hall of Fame Game - will provide teams with the tape needed to make their best moves in preparing for 2025. It's almost time for the real action to get underway. Here's everything to know about the NFL's Week 1 slate: When does NFL Week 1 start? Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season begins on Thursday, Sept. 4. As is tradition, the reigning Super Bowl champions will host the opening game of the new season. For the 2025 season, the Philadelphia Eagles will host NFC East foe Dallas at home in prime time. These teams faced off twice in 2024, with the Eagles winning both matchups by a combined score of 75-13. Over the previous 10 seasons, defending Super Bowl winners are 6-3 in their Week 1 matchups (the 2019 season opener did not feature the defending champion Patriots). Two of those three losses came in the last three years: Kansas City in 2023 and the Los Angeles Rams in 2022. NFL Week 1 schedule, how to watch The opening week of NFL action in 2025 will span four days, starting with the Eagles-Cowboys game. Here's a complete look at the schedule:
Newsweek
6 minutes ago
- Newsweek
NFL Preseason Betting Odds, Picks For August 7: IND-BAL, CIN-PHI, LV-SEA
Thursday night's NFL preseason slate starts with Anthony Richardson and the Colts vs. the Ravens at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Thursday night's NFL preseason slate starts with Anthony Richardson and the Colts vs. the Ravens at 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Week 1 of the 2025 NFL preseason is officially upon us. Thursday night's three-game slate gets underway with Colts vs. Ravens in a showcase one of the most intriguing quarterback battles in the league: Anthony Richardson vs. Daniel Jones. Tonight's action also includes a battle between the Bengals and Eagles, and a reunion of sorts between Pete Carroll's Raiders and his former team, the Seahawks. With kickoff of Colts-Ravens nearly upon us, let's get right into the betting odds, breakdowns and picks for tonight. Colts vs. Ravens Betting Odds DK FD bet365 IND spread -6 (-108) -5.5 (-120) -6 (-110) BAL spread +6 (-112) +5.5 (+100) +6 (-110) IND ML -265 -270 -260 BAL ML +215 +220 +210 Total 36.5 (o-108; u-112) 36.5 (o-105; u-115) 36.5 (o-110; u-110) How To Watch Colts vs. Ravens Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET TV: NFL Network Colts vs. Ravens Betting Analysis, Pick Last year, teams with quarterback battles reliably put up substantial numbers offensively. The Broncos scored 34 points in Week 1, 27 in Week 2 and 38 in Week in 2024. That was a rare example of a three-way quarterback battle, as Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson were all in the mix, but it was still worth noting. And amid the Raiders' QB battle between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell last year, they scored 23 points in Week 1 of the preseason, but just 12 in Week 2. The latter result showed that two signal callers fighting for the starting job doesn't guarantee a huge scoring night. Still, the logic behind the "multiple quarterbacks who need to show out = a big scoring night by that offense" formula is sound. So, we'll likely see the Colts score plenty of points in this game as the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Anthony Richardson, and Daniels -- who has 69 starts to his name -- both stake their claims to lead Shane Steichen's Colts offense. Steichen said this week that Richardson will start vs. the Ravens and play about a quarter-and-a-half, and Jones will start next week against the Packers. The Ravens not only had their reign of preseason dominance from '16-22 upended in 2023, when they went 1-2, but they also were 1-2 in last year's exhibition slate. Still, this team is 45-16 all-time in preseason under John Harbaugh (including 24-6 at home), and three of their four preseason losses the last two years came by 6 points or fewer. With that in mind, I'll happily take Baltimore +6. Colts vs. Ravens best bets: Colts Team Total Over 21.5 (-105 at DraftKings) -- 1 unit Colts 2+ Passing Touchdowns (+240 at FanDuel) -- 0.5 units Ravens +6 (-110 at bet365) -- 0.5 units Bengals vs. Eagles Betting Odds DK FD bet365 CIN spread -6 (-112) -5.5 (-120) -6 (-110) PHI spread +6 (-108) +5.5 (+100) +6 (-110) CIN ML -258 -240 -260 PHI ML +210 +190 +210 Total 37.5 (o-105; u-115) 37.5 (o-105; u-115) 37.5 (o-110; u-110) How To Watch Bengals vs. Eagles Kickoff: 7 p.m. ET TV: not available on national TV Bengals vs. Eagles Betting Analysis, Pick Two great examples of offenses with zero starting quarterback uncertainy whatsoever meet in Philadelphia tonight. Eagles backup Tanner McKee is expected to play the majority of the reps. If he's anywhere near as sharp as he was in his appearances against the Cowboys and the Giants last year (he completed 30-for-45 passes in those games, with 4 TDs and 0 picks), Philly should be able to score some points, even if the starters stay on the sidelines for most/all of the night. Bengals coach Zac Taylor said that they plan to play Joe Burrow and the starters for a quarter, which could produce some early fireworks at home -- and probably explains why Cincinnati is a 6-point road favorite. At DK, the Bengals are listed -0.5 on the first-quarter spread. That is an obvious but nevertheless tempting play with Burrow and the first-string offense in action. The other play I like tonight is the Over. Bengals vs. Eagles best bets: Bengals -0.5 (-105 at DraftKings) -- 1 unit Over 37.5 (-105 at FanDuel) -- 0.5 units Raiders vs. Seahawks Betting Odds DK FD bet365 LV spread -4.5 (-112) -4.5 (-115) -4.5 (-110) SEA spread +4.5 (-108) +4.5 (-105) +4.5 (-110) LV ML -230 -230 -230 SEA ML +190 +190 +190 Total 37.5 (o-102; u-118) 37.5 (o-110; u-110) 37 (o-110; u-110) How To Watch Raiders vs. Seahawks Kickoff: 10 p.m. ET TV: NFL Network Raiders vs. Seahawks Betting Analysis, Pick Seattle has made no secret about the fact that most of its starters won't see the field in this game. Related: Vegas -- like Indianapolis and Cincinnati in the early games -- is favored on the road in this contest. While rookie Jalen Milroe and Drew Lock will take most of the quarterback snaps for the Seahawks, starter Geno Smith, backup Aidan O'Connell and sixth-round rookie third-stringer Cam Miller could all be in action for Las Vegas, as Pete Carroll left the door open to his starters getting work in this game. With the Seahawks leaning on reserves and the Raiders yet to clarify their plans for the starters, this is a great example of a preseason game that is a crapshoot -- and a stay-away -- from a betting perspective. Given the possibility of O'Connell, plus two rookies in Milroe and Miller, seeing most of the QB reps, the Under is the play I would take if I had to place a wager on this game. Best bet: Under 37.5 (-110 at FD) -- 0.5 units Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through any links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
