Chiefs Named Top Trade Partner for Emerging 49ers Playmaker
Posted September 12, 2025
The Kansas City Chiefs have spent the past few years with a bit of a turnstile at wide receiver, but this year feels slightly different.
Rashee Rice is out on suspension for the first six weeks, Xavier Worthy is already recovering from a shoulder injury sustained Week 1 and Jalen Royals hasn’t been healthy enough to show what he can bring to the table.
Patrick Mahomes still has Travis Kelce as his security blanket, but the offense feels like it still needs someone else to help steady the ship. Enter Jauan Jennings.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox named the Niners a top candidate to trade for Jennings, projecting the San Francisco 49ers WR’s trade value to be a fourth-round pick along with a 2027 fifth-rounder. Would this be the kind of move Kansas City should make? Let’s discuss.
A Look Back at Jennings’ Time With the 49ers
Drafted in the seventh round in 2020, Jennings spent his rookie year stuck between the practice squad and injured list before breaking through in 2021.
By then, he had carved out a role in San Francisco as Kyle Shanahan’s go-to on third downs. Fans and teammates alike dubbed him “Third-and-Jauan” for good reason: when the Niners needed a tough conversion, Jennings was generally the guy muscling through traffic to move the chains.
From 2021 through 2023, Jennings posted decent stat lines, but in 2024, with injuries hitting the 49ers’ WRs room, he leveled up and finished the year as a reliable secondary option. By season’s end, he had career highs in catches (77), receiving yards (975) and touchdowns (6).
Why a Trade to the Kansas City Chiefs Makes Sense for Jauan Jennings
For Kansas City, the fit feels like it could be a good one. Jennings has made his living on the same kinds of routes Andy Reid tends to favor: options, slants, digs. Add in his blocking on screens and outside runs, and you have a wideout who can help multiple facets of the Chiefs offense. He doesn’t need to post gaudy numbers to help; he just has to win his matchup on third-and-five or bury a cornerback to spring Isaiah Pacheco loose.
This isn’t about landing a superstar. Jennings has never been the fastest guy on the field or a showy playmaker. What he has been, consistently, is tough as nails. He’s the kind of receiver who makes defensive backs think twice about tackling him in the flat.
Then there’s the cap math, which makes the idea realistic. Jennings is playing on the final year of a two-year extension, with a 2025 cap hit of $4.25 million — just $1.17 million in base salary plus per-game bonuses. The heavy bonus proration already sits on San Francisco’s books, which means a trade partner would only take on the leftover base and incentives.
He has also battled injury issues this summer, so his medicals would have to be good.
Jennings may not be the kind of acquisition that sends fans sprinting to buy jerseys. But if Kansas City makes that call, don’t be surprised if “Third-and-Jauan” suddenly becomes a frequent chant at Arrowhead.
Cirelli is projected to be a valuable asset - the trade talks are heating up
The Montreal Canadiens have been undergoing a period of rebuilding for some time.
They pulled off one of the biggest deals of the summer – acquiring offensive defender Noah Dobson from the New York Islanders. We proposes a deal that would accelerate the Eastern Conference team’s exit from its rebuilding phase by acquiring Anthony Cirelli from the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Canadiens Acquire:
Anthony Cirelli
Lightning Acquire:
Patrik Laine
A deal of this magnitude would undoubtedly be a blockbuster. Patrik Laine is an established NHLer who can produce goals and points. Cirelli is a top-six center whose two-way prowess is widely recognized throughout the league. Cirelli would immediately become a vital piece for the Canadiens moving forward.
While others have speculated that a player like Pavel Zacha of the Boston Bruins would be a helpful piece, Cirelli is a better option.
Montreal Canadiens Need To Move Salary Out
According to PuckPedia, the Canadiens are $4.519 million over the salary cap ceiling. Swapping Laine for Cirelli doesn’t cure what ails their salary cap situation, but it lightens the load.
Laine will make $8.7 million in the 2025-26 season. He is in the final year of his contract, and the Canadiens must start thinking about whether they should retain him in their ranks or not. By executing this proposed swap, they acquire a player who is signed for a long time at a lower cap hit than Laine.
Cirelli is in the third year of an eight-year contract paying him $6.25 million, which is $2.5 million less than Laine’s. This deal would get them closer to the ceiling, but another deal would need to happen to bring them even closer.
Another consideration could be to involve another team to retain salary on Laine’s contract. This would give the Lightning a more affordable contract to acquire, providing them with a greater incentive to make the deal.
Anthony Cirelli’s Surprising Offensive Game
Cirelli displayed another level to his offensive game in 2024-25. In 80 games played, he recorded career highs in goals (27), assists (32), points (59), shorthanded points (7), and time on ice (18:41).
Had Cirelli played for the Canadiens during this past season, he would have had the fourth-most points. The only Canadiens with more than 59 points last year were Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson.
Getting that kind of offensive boost to the top-six forward group is something that the Canadiens should be all over.
Cirelli’s Great Defensive Prowess
Cirelli would make the Canadiens better primarily because of his defensive abilities. His reputation as a great defensive player precedes him, as evidenced by his selection as a finalist for the Selke Trophy this past season.
The Selke Trophy is distributed to “the forward who excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” It is an award that is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA). Cirelli lost out to Florida Panthers‘ captain Aleksander Barkov. However, being a finalist for this trophy is a big enough feather in a player’s cap.
According to PuckIQ, Cirelli played 426.2 minutes against Elite competition. That was second on the Lightning to Brandon Hagel, who played 467 minutes against the Elites.
In those minutes, Cirelli earned a 55.7 Dangerous Fenwick For percentage (DFF%), the highest among his Lightning teammates.
According to the PuckIQ Glossary, Dangerous Fenwick is a “weighted shot metric using shot distance, location, and type of shot to give each shot a ‘danger’ value.” The metric is similar to Corsi and Fenwick, but with the added detail of considering the danger associated with those shot attempts.
A trade for Cirelli would be a home run swing by the Canadiens.
