Kyle Shanahan on the Jauan Jennings FaceTime: “It was awesome,” Jennings said he was “pretty happy” in Minnesota, and the 49ers still need a receiver before the deadline

The San Francisco 49ers got close to bringing wide receiver Jauan Jennings back from the Minnesota Vikings, and on Wednesday head coach Kyle Shanahan explained why it fell through. The 49ers are short at receiver with the trade deadline on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. ET, and Shanahan said adding one remains an option.

NEWS: #49ers coach Kyle Shanahan clarified how his conversation with WR Jauan Jennings went and why Jennings opted against returning via trade. He also discussed the team’s continued need to add a WR and why it’s not easy to find the right fit…

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 4, 2026

Shanahan confirms the FaceTime

Jay Glazer reported on Sunday that the 49ers and Vikings had trade terms worked out, contingent on Jennings joining a FaceTime call with Shanahan and general manager John Lynch and saying he wanted to come back. Jennings said he preferred to stay in Minnesota. Shanahan confirmed the outline on Wednesday. “The report was accurate, just not totally exactly detailed up,” he said. “You can’t talk to other players on other teams. You’re not allowed to. We love Jauan. We have such a good relationship with Jauan and know him really well, and we didn’t want to do it without talking to him first. So we had to agree on some things to at least make it close enough to be able to talk to him.”

Then came the call. “When we got on a FaceTime with J.J., it went well. It was awesome. We talked about a lot of stuff, and he ended up saying that he was happy with where he was,” Shanahan said. “It wasn’t just like a definite ‘no’ first, but he was like, ‘Man, Kyle, I’m pretty happy here and liking stuff.’ And when I heard the way he talked and where we’re at, I agreed with him.” He said there was no bad blood. “He’s with good people. He likes where he’s at, and I thought he made sense of what he said, and I agreed with him.”

The fact that the Vikings let their receiver talk to a former team shows they were willing to move him. Jennings has not been a big part of Minnesota’s offense, with six catches for 54 yards in six games, and Mike Florio noted that his stay keeps Odell Beckham Jr. on the Vikings’ practice squad.

Why the 49ers want a receiver

San Francisco’s depth chart is thin. Shanahan said Mike Evans is making progress from his Achilles injury, but the club is not going to push it. “We’ve made a lot of progress. I think he’s going in the right direction and it’s something we definitely got to be smart with, but we’re not going to overly do it,” he said. “We just want to wait till he’s healthy.” Deebo Samuel has also been out, and Demarcus Robinson returned to practice this week. The Raiders visit Santa Clara on Sunday.

Nick Wagoner reported that Shanahan also talked about why it is not easy to find the right fit at receiver before the deadline. Jeremy Fowler reported on Wednesday that the Titans are seeking a quality Day 3 pick for Calvin Ridley, who has six catches for 91 yards in seven games, so there are options at a modest price. Our deadline board lists who else is reportedly available.

Aiyuk is the other receiver story

The other receiver on the roster picture is Brandon Aiyuk, who filed for reinstatement and is due at the facility on Friday. Wagoner asked 49ers players about him on Wednesday and got short answers.

As you might expect, not a lot of enthusiasm in #49ers locker room to answer questions about Brandon Aiyuk:

Christian McCaffrey: "I don’t make any of those decisions, so it’s not on my radar. I just focus on my job. I haven’t thought about it."

Nick Bosa: “Oh man. I don’t know. Not my place, really. I’ll dap him up. No hard feelings between me and him.”

Fred Warner: "Yeah. I don’t know if I really have anything to say about it. Kind of let that work itself out."

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 4, 2026

What to watch

The 49ers have until Tuesday to find a receiver by trade, and Friday is the first checkpoint on Aiyuk, whom the club cannot trade or release until he is back on the roster. Shanahan also said Christian McCaffrey, who left the Atlanta game with a hamstring problem, has a chance to practice and play this week. The first official Week 9 injury designations come out Friday.