Jonas Duran Jennings (born November 21, 1977) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

that played in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

in the third round of the

2001 NFL draft The 2001 NFL draft was the 66th draft annual of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at the Th ...

. He has also played for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

. Jennings is now director of player development for his alma mater, the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

. He was part of the Bulldogs' coaching staff that won the National Championship over Alabama in the 2021 season.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Jennings was drafted by the

in the third round of the

with the 95th overall pick. In 2001, Jennings played 12 games, all of which he started at right tackle. In 2002, he moved to left tackle, starting all 15 games in which he appeared. After 11 games in 2003, Jennings was placed on injured reserve with a toe injury. His final season with the Bills was 2004, when he started and played in 14 games.

San Francisco 49ers

Jennings signed with the

on March 3, 2005. In his first season in San Francisco, he started the first three games of the season before being placed on injured reserve. During the 2006 season, started 13 games and missed three. During the season, he was named a co-captain along with teammates

Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning first-team All-American ho ...

, Walt Harris,

Bryant Young Bryant Colby Young (born January 27, 1972) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting I ...

and Keith Lewis. On October 4, 2007, Jonas Jennings took a leave of absence from the

to deal with 'private matters'. He was replaced by Adam Snyder for the week 5 game against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

. It was announced the week after that he would rejoin the team as the starter at LT, but during the next game against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

he split time with his backup Adam Snyder. Jennings sustained a high ankle sprain in the second quarter of the 49ers' loss to the Giants on October 21 and missed the subsequent two games. On November 5 he was placed on

Injured Reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

; coach Mike Nolan stated that Jennings was to undergo surgery to remove "loose bodies" in his ankle, effectively ending his 2007–2008 season. The 49ers brought Jennings back for the 2008 NFL season but did not guarantee him a starting position. During the 2008 season Jennings continued his injury-stricken career as a 49er when he injured his right shoulder. Although he insisted on remaining on the sideline as an emergency backup, ultimately he was placed on injured reserve to undergo his 3rd shoulder surgery. Jennings was released by the 49ers on March 27, 2009.

References

External links

ESPN player profileGeorgia Bulldogs coaching profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Jonas 1977 births Living people American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Georgia Bulldogs football players Buffalo Bills players San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from College Park, Georgia Georgia Bulldogs football coaches