THURSDAY, 11:39am: The Dolphins have officially signed Jennings, the team announced today (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 4:50pm: The Dolphins will sign wide receiver Greg Jennings, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). It’s a two-year, $8MM deal, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
In Jennings, the Dolphins have added a veteran receiver to take the lace of Mike Wallace, who was traded to Minnesota earlier this offseason. The veteran will join fellow receivers Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills in Miami and figures to serve in a mentor/mentee role with them. Miami has moved on from Wallace, Brandon Gibson, and Brian Hartline, so he will be very much needed in Miami, even though he won’t be the No. 1 or No. 2 target.
Jennings was catching passes from a combination of Matt Cassel, Christian Ponder, and even Josh Freeman during his first year with the Vikes, and never appeared to be an ideal fit. Even after Teddy Bridgewater emerged as the starter in 2014, Jennings’ production was unspectacular — he recorded just 59 receptions for 742 yards last season. That’s a far cry from his best work. During the three seasons in which he played all 16 games, from 2008 to 2010, Jennings posted three straight 1,100-yard seasons, averaging about 75 receptions, 1,223 yards, and eight touchdowns per year.
Within the last few weeks, the 31-year-old was also linked to a number of other receiver-needy teams, including the Panthers, Jaguars, and Saints. Recently, PFR’s Luke Adams examined Jennings’ free agent stock and noted that the Dolphins were a logical fit.
Jennings indicated on March 31st that he was close to wrapping up the free agency process and on April Fools Day he teased that he would announce his decision. Things may have taken longer than expected to materialize, but Jennings has found a home in South Florida.