Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Minnesota Vikings left New Orleans 5-0 on Sunday, but not everybody on the sideline was celebrating. With Minnesota up 13-7 late in the third quarter, Myles Price was stripped after a catch and the Saints returned it 87 yards for a touchdown.
According to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, Jauan Jennings turned around and went right at Kevin O’Connell. Jennings wasn’t even on the field for that play.
Jauan Jennings blew up on the sideline at Kevin O’Connell vs Saints
Five weeks into his Vikings career, the veteran wideout has barely been part of the offense, and his frustration is starting to show. Now one of the NFL’s top insiders thinks his name is about to pop up in trade talks.
Wolfson shared the sideline details on Tuesday’s Purple Daily on SKOR North. He said that KSTP photographer Scott Wise happened to be filming from the Vikings sideline when Price fumbled, and in footage only seen within the walls of the Channel 5 studios, Wise’s camera caught Jennings yelling at his head coach, Kevin O’Connell.
“I will also tell you, on the Myles Price fumble, Saints return it for the 87-yard touchdown … our sports photojournalist on the TV side, Scott Wise, just happenstance … he’s on the Vikings sideline, so he’s capturing the Saints defensive back streaking down the field, but he also captured from his angle Jauan Jennings getting into KOC’s vicinity, not like pointing at him, but there was some heated, I don’t want to say dialogue, cuz KOC really didn’t have anything to say. But it was Jauan Jennings loudly going at KOC in that moment … Saints running for the touchdown, Jauan Jennings turns, finds KOC, and it looked like he was pretty animated just based on our Channel 5 video.”
Darren Wolfson – Purple Daily (SKOR North)
SKOR North host Phil Mackey also noted at the beginning of the segment that Jennings has the worst run-blocking grade of any Vikings offensive player, according to PFF. That’s the opposite of what he was known for in San Francisco.
Money could be part of the frustration, too. As the KSTP (Ch. 5) reporter noted, Jennings’ deal includes a little over $6 million guaranteed, which he called a good contract considering how late he signed.
However, it is also loaded with incentives for catches, yards and touchdowns, and Wolfson said Jennings “isn’t going to come close to hitting any of those.”
NFL super agent Drew Rosenhaus trying to work his magic?
Wolfson pointed out another interesting connection, as well. Drew Rosenhaus is the agent for both Jennings and JuJu Smith-Schuster, who worked out for the Vikings on Monday.
Below is a different video showing Jauan upset after Kyler Murray missed him for a wide-open touchdown, instead throwing a contested ball to Tai Felton that fell incomplete.
Jauan Jennings was pissed off he didn’t get the ball when he was wide open in the end zone on Sunday
A total of 5 targets in 4 games will do this to you https://t.co/25tacVpI0f
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) October 13, 2026
Wolfson also wondered aloud whether Rosenhaus could be trying to find Jennings a new home while pitching the Vikings on another big-bodied receiver to replace him. Of course, how difficult could that really be, especially if Jennings can’t block anymore?
He has only two catches for 9 yards on five targets in four games. That’s a far cry from the 77 catches for 975 yards he had with San Francisco in 2024, and the 55 catches and nine touchdowns he added last season.
Despite the sideline dust-up, O’Connell was calm, cool and collected when answering questions about Jennings’ future in Minnesota during his Monday press conference.
Ian Rapoport expects Jauan Jennings trade buzz to heat up
There, he told reporters that the Vikings will use their bye week to find new ways to get Jennings involved in the offense. Wolfson isn’t buying it, saying “it would have happened by now.” And as it appears, neither are national NFL insiders like Ian Rapoport.
Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show, Rapoport told McAfee that the first-year Viking is one of the names he will be watching over the upcoming days and weeks, as teams start working the phones before the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline.
From @PatMcAfeeShow: In the wake of the Marvin Harrison Jr trade, another WR whose trade market is expected to heat up is #Vikings WR Jauan Jennings. Would a #49ers reunion make sense? https://t.co/DR6mY1OvYb
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 13, 2026
“I would say a name that I’ve been wondering about is Jauan Jennings. So he’s with the Minnesota Vikings, had like two catches. Um, obviously came over from the 49ers. I expect his name to heat up a little bit over the next, you know, probably couple days and weeks, and obviously the 49ers lost Deebo for a couple weeks too, so they make sense.”
Ian Rapoport (above)
Related: KOC Made Odell Beckham Jr. to Vikings Happen
The Vikings signed Jennings in May, and he was supposed to give Kyler Murray a big-bodied target behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, not to mention a DUDE who can help block out of the slot and coming in motion.
Unfortunately, that’s not the guy who arrived in Eagan this summer.
How realistic is a Jauan Jennings trade?
Still, a trade is far from guaranteed. Wolfson admitted he doesn’t know who would trade for Jennings. Rapoport clearly believes the Niners are a possibility, but the local insider is less sure.
As he sees it, San Francisco already has Mike Evans and Brandin Cooks to go along with Samuel once he’s healthy, and the 49ers often play with two backs and lots of tight end-driven pass concepts that feature George Kittle.
But if Jennings is really blowing up on the sideline while the Minnesota Vikings are 5-0, that’s a serious red flag that needs to be dealt with. Thus, if Jennings can’t commit to taking a team-first attitude going forward, KOC and GM Nolan Teasley will have no choice but to move him.
Remember, Justin Jefferson set the precedent last season when he remained humble and refused to draw extra attention to Minnesota’s QB struggles, despite his numbers being hit the hardest. Now, a WR3 is screaming at the head coach on the sidelines when he hasn’t held up his end of the bargain either?
That’s a problem the Vikings need to fix ASAP.
Mentioned in this article:Darren Wolfson Ian Rapoport Jauan Jennings Kevin O’Connell
More About:Minnesota Vikings
