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49ers New WR Addition Could Be Bad News for Jauan Jennings
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By Reuters
Published 5 hours ago on
September 8, 2025

Dec 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

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The San Francisco 49ers entered Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field with a thin wide receiver room, as Brandon Aiyuk (PUP), Jacob Cowing (IR) and Jordan Watkins (inactive) were all out due to injuries.

However, things got worse late in San Francisco’s 17-13 win, as Jauan Jennings suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out for the remainder of the game. FOX’s Pam Oliver reported on the broadcast that Jennings was having a hard time moving his arm at all.

With that, the 49ers acted swiftly on Monday, signing wide receiver Kendrick Bourne to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million with incentives, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Bourne, 30, originally signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2017 after a collegiate career at Eastern Washington, where he earned All-Big Sky honors twice and All-American honors once. In his four seasons with the 49ers, he caught 137 passes for 1,769 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The New England Patriots signed Bourne in 2021, and over the last four seasons, he finished with 155 receptions for 1,945 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, he did miss half of 2023 and the start of 2024 to a torn ACL.

Now more than a full year removed from the knee injury, Bourne could be an impactful player for the 49ers right away, especially considering he played in Kyle Shanahan’s offense for years.

The negative side of this news is that Jennings’ injury could be serious, and the 49ers may have made this signing to make up for his loss. If that’s the case, Bourne, Ricky Pearsall, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Russell Gage will have to do a lot more for San Francisco to keep winning games without Aiyuk as their top wideout.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers new WR addition could be bad news for Jauan Jennings
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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