49ers aim to help star veteran reach milestone in Week 18

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

While the tight end George Kittle leads the San Francisco 49ers with 1,079 receiving yards, no wide receiver on the team has more receiving yards than John Jennings. The physical veteran and fan favorite currently has 923 receiving yards and six touchdowns, putting him just 77 yards shy of his first-ever 1,000-yard season.

With one game left, the 49ers are eager to help the 27-year-old reach that milestone in Sunday’s season finale against the Arizona Cardinals.

“You always want to do that for guys, especially in a situation where you can think about it,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “It’s insulting to think about it just in the situation if you’re competing for a playoff spot or something like that. But still, I’d love to help the guys.”

Jennings, who signed a two-year extension with the 49ers last offseason, acknowledged the importance of this step.

“It means a lot,” Jennings admitted. “I’m not going to take anything away from it. I play receiver. I haven’t played receiver my whole life, so I’m a receiver now, so I’m proud of it. A thousand yards is a thousand yards.”

Shanahan expressed caution about helping players reach statistical milestones.

“I remember last year watching the Rams try to get (WR) Puka (Nacua) the record, and I know they wanted to get him in and out,” Shanahan said. “So we were doing everything we could to deny him the ball. I remember he came to the sideline like a one-yard gain and I told him, ‘(Rams head coach) Sean (McVay) is going to have to play against you.” until the end of this match because we are not giving you your record. And he just laughed, and I laughed.”

However, Shanahan noted that the circumstances are different with the 49ers eliminated from the playoffs.

“But we’re not playing next week, so I’d like to help the guys do that,” he concluded.

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