If there is one team who have been most affected by the injuries this season, it has to be the San Francisco 49ers. QB1 Brock Purdy, WR Ricky Pearsall, and TE George Kittle were among the first ones. He dealt with the problem by promoting his backups, like WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling from the practice squad to the active roster. But as we head into Week 7, nothing seems to be working for the Niners, with another injury. And HC Kyle Shanahan had no option but to take a tough call.

In a surprise move, just one day before their Week 7 Sunday Night Football game against the Atlanta Falcons, the 49ers waived Valdes-Scantling with an injury settlement from IR. He had been placed on IR with a calf injury that was expected to keep him out for the next four games. In 5 games this season with the 49ers, Valdes-Scantling caught just 4 passes for 40 yards with no score.

Considering Valdes-Scantling has not been very productive for the Niners, this move made sense. But after what happened during the Week 6 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco might be on the verge of losing another wide receiver in a trade.

With their WR2, Ricky Pearsall, already out of the Week 7 game with a knee injury, the Niners are hoping for TE George Kittle to help Mac Jones. Kittle got hurt in Week 1 during the win over the Seattle Seahawks. Now fully healthy, he can play without restrictions.

“George has rehabbed really well. He came back 100 percent, had a good week of practice,” Shanahan said on Friday, October 17.

Not only that, they are dealing with injuries to QBs Brock Purdy and Jones as well. Purdy has already missed 4 games this year due to toe and shoulder injuries. Jones took up the starter job well, but he is also dealing with an oblique and a knee injury. So, Kyle Shanahan is caught up in a lot of health issues right now.

Amid these developments, there has been another issue since the offseason.

Kyle Shanahan needs to give fans clarity about Jauan Jennings

Early in the offseason, the Niners increased their WR1 Jauan Jennings‘ 2025 salary ceiling to $10.5 million by incorporating play-time incentives worth $3 million. Now, during the Week 6 matchup against the Buccaneers, Jennings had a sideline argument with coach Kyle Shanahan. The Niners’ HC called it a “competitive” conversation, but didn’t give details.

The receiver also didn’t share much. Many believe the altercation happened as he was playing in a limited role. In Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, He had only one catch for seven yards on three targets against the Bucs. That is the lowest since Week 13 of 2023. But his way of complaining was wrong.

“The last thing you want to do with Kyle (Shanahan) in my mind is go b—h and moan about it, especially publicly,” said former 49ers quarterback Steve Young. There are a couple of other WRs making news on the trade market – Miami Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle and Las Vegas Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers. This doesn’t mean the 49ers are trading him.

Jennings has played 4 games (all starts) this season. He has 10 receptions for 136 yards and 1 touchdown. He averages 13.6 yards per catch, with his longest catch being 42 yards. In his NFL career so far, Jennings has played 64 games (21 starts), caught 165 passes for 2,074 yards, and scored 14 touchdowns. His career average is 12.6 yards per catch, and his longest catch is 45 yards.

Amid the depleted offense, his departure could really shake things up.