Pick6TerenceNewman
Benched
- Messages
- 2,665
- Reaction score
- 0
Jennings out for season
Shoulder surgery may end his career with the 49ers
John Crumpacker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
He spent more time on the injury list than anyone on the roster and when tackle Jonas Jennings was placed on injured reserve Tuesday by the 49ers following shoulder surgery, it probably ended his tenure in San Francisco, given that he will count against the salary cap in 2009.
Jennings, an eight-year veteran who turns 31 Friday, had surgery on his right shoulder at Stanford Hospital, where team orthopedist Dr. Tim McAndrews performed the operation.
To take Jennings' spot on the roster, the 49ers signed tackle Jacob Bender, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound player, off the Patriots' practice squad. Jennings was not available for comment Tuesday.
"It wasn't getting any better. Surgery was inevitable," 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan said. "His right shoulder came out. They went in and tightened it down to get it fixed."
The 49ers signed Jennings to a seven-year contract worth nearly $44 million in 2005 as an unrestricted free agent from the Bills; the last year, 2011, is an option year. He was given a signing bonus of $6.5 million.
Jennings has a 2008 base salary of $3.45 million with a cap value of $5.842 million. He will count $6.592 million against the salary cap in 2009, including a base salary of $4.2 million.
Asked if his looming cap value spells the end of Jennings as a 49er, McCloughan said, "We'll address that at the end of the season. He's got two years left under his contract. Durability has been a question. It's not his fault he got hurt. When he did play for us, he played well. We've had success with him as a tackle, and they're hard to find."
When healthy, the 6-3, 328-pound Jennings was a capable tackle with superior footwork. But injuries torpedoed his career. Since coming to the 49ers, Jennings has missed 25 of 58 games to various injuries.
By the end of this season, he will have played in 72 of a possible 148 games for the 49ers and Bills over eight seasons, four of which (2003, '05, '07, '08) ended with him on injured reserve.
Jennings' one healthy season with the 49ers was in 2006, when he started 13 games at left tackle. Not coincidentally, Frank Gore rushed for a franchise record 1,695 yards that season and the 49ers ranked as the No. 6 rushing team in the NFL.
Jennings started the first two games of this season at right tackle before his right shoulder forced him to the sideline. Barry Sims started the next six games at right tackle before injuring an ankle. Adam Snyder has started the last two games at the position and the 49ers want to keep him there for the rest of the season.
"If we didn't have Snyder the way he's playing at right tackle and we didn't have Sims to back up, we could have kept him (Jennings) as an emergency tackle the rest of the year," McCloughan said. "But because of the numbers we have, we felt fine doing the surgery now."
E-mail John Crumpacker at jcrumpacker@sfchronicle.com.
Cowboys D should have a field day getting to Hill and shutting down Gore!
Shoulder surgery may end his career with the 49ers
John Crumpacker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
He spent more time on the injury list than anyone on the roster and when tackle Jonas Jennings was placed on injured reserve Tuesday by the 49ers following shoulder surgery, it probably ended his tenure in San Francisco, given that he will count against the salary cap in 2009.
Jennings, an eight-year veteran who turns 31 Friday, had surgery on his right shoulder at Stanford Hospital, where team orthopedist Dr. Tim McAndrews performed the operation.
To take Jennings' spot on the roster, the 49ers signed tackle Jacob Bender, a 6-foot-6, 320-pound player, off the Patriots' practice squad. Jennings was not available for comment Tuesday.
"It wasn't getting any better. Surgery was inevitable," 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan said. "His right shoulder came out. They went in and tightened it down to get it fixed."
The 49ers signed Jennings to a seven-year contract worth nearly $44 million in 2005 as an unrestricted free agent from the Bills; the last year, 2011, is an option year. He was given a signing bonus of $6.5 million.
Jennings has a 2008 base salary of $3.45 million with a cap value of $5.842 million. He will count $6.592 million against the salary cap in 2009, including a base salary of $4.2 million.
Asked if his looming cap value spells the end of Jennings as a 49er, McCloughan said, "We'll address that at the end of the season. He's got two years left under his contract. Durability has been a question. It's not his fault he got hurt. When he did play for us, he played well. We've had success with him as a tackle, and they're hard to find."
When healthy, the 6-3, 328-pound Jennings was a capable tackle with superior footwork. But injuries torpedoed his career. Since coming to the 49ers, Jennings has missed 25 of 58 games to various injuries.
By the end of this season, he will have played in 72 of a possible 148 games for the 49ers and Bills over eight seasons, four of which (2003, '05, '07, '08) ended with him on injured reserve.
Jennings' one healthy season with the 49ers was in 2006, when he started 13 games at left tackle. Not coincidentally, Frank Gore rushed for a franchise record 1,695 yards that season and the 49ers ranked as the No. 6 rushing team in the NFL.
Jennings started the first two games of this season at right tackle before his right shoulder forced him to the sideline. Barry Sims started the next six games at right tackle before injuring an ankle. Adam Snyder has started the last two games at the position and the 49ers want to keep him there for the rest of the season.
"If we didn't have Snyder the way he's playing at right tackle and we didn't have Sims to back up, we could have kept him (Jennings) as an emergency tackle the rest of the year," McCloughan said. "But because of the numbers we have, we felt fine doing the surgery now."
E-mail John Crumpacker at jcrumpacker@sfchronicle.com.
Cowboys D should have a field day getting to Hill and shutting down Gore!
