SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy’s mind raced back to Seattle’s Lumen Field on Thanksgiving night, 2023. The San Francisco 49ers faced third-and-7 in a 7-3 game. What unfolded next from Jauan Jennings illustrates how he earned Purdy’s trust.

This one play also explains why Purdy called it “extremely important” that Jennings reported to training camp Tuesday, a week after news of Jennings wanting either a contract extension or a trade.

“He broke three guys off him and got the first down,” Purdy said of Jennings’ third-down conversion in that division-clinching win in Seattle. “I was, ‘OK, Jauan is a guy that is going to fight until the very last whistle or breath that he has.’ He’s a gamer, man. He’s done that just game after game.

“He fights his butt off. He blocks his butt off for everybody,” Purdy added. “It’s not just about Jauan. He’s doing it for everyone on the field and for his team. I absolutely love playing with him and his mindset every game. Nothing but respect for Jauan. That’s my guy.”

The 49ers have paid a lot of guys in recent years, including Purdy at a $265 million price tag in May. Jennings has one year remaining on a two-year, $15.4 million contract. Not only is he coming off a career-best season (975 yards), Jennings is the only wide receiver available who’s already established a rapport with Purdy.

Brandon Aiyuk is amid an “encouraging” rehabilitation from having his right knee rebuilt but no timetable is set on his return. Deebo Samuel is in Washington, traded there in March after six seasons of versatile bully-ball. And Ricky Pearsall must get cleared from a spring hamstring injury before he can practice, possibly this Sunday.

As for whether Jennings will practice — or dare “hold-in” and just condition on the side like Aiyuk last season — general manager John Lynch said: “Jauan’s here and we expect him to be out on the field. … He embodies what we think a Niner is all about. Plays the right way. We love him.”

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Jennings has not requested a trade, adding: “When people talk about how to avoid drama, and I’m not trying to say anything negative about it, I think that’s just business. I don’t call that drama. I call that business.”

Purdy wants Jennings’ resolved, while also noting that camp is a crucial time to work with new wide receivers.

“Obviously we’ve had so much success together,” Purdy said. “Anytime you see something like this going on, it’s like, ‘Man, let’s figure out something so we can get back out on the field and continue to do what we’ve done.’ Obviously I hope everything gets handled. I’d love my guy to be out on the field with me.”

While Jennings’ contract situation remains unsettled with the 49ers, the wide receiver corps has many other issues, such as:

— Pearsall won’t practice the first three days, so following Saturday’s off day, Sunday could yield his camp debut. His hamstring injury during spring workouts was “bad,” Shanahan said. “Not real bad. A normal one. He’s good now. He’s hitting all his miles-per-hour marks. He’s fine. We just haven’t seen him the last two weeks. We’re not going to throw a wideout (with health issues) out there the first three days. We don’t want him pulling it again.”

Pearsall is on the Physically Unable To Perform list, as is Aiyuk, tackle Andre Dillard (ankle), defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), safety Malik Mustapha (knee) and linebacker Curtis Robinson (knee). Pearsall missed time last summer because of hamstring and shoulder injuries before surviving a Labor Day Weekend gunshot wound through his chest that kept him out the first six games.

— Aiyuk’s right-knee rehabilitation is encouraging but no timetable is set for his comeback as he also begins camp on PUP. “He did a lot to his knee,” Lynch said of the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligament tears. “I’d tell you he’s in a really good place considering all that. … We’re encouraged but not anywhere close to having a set-in-stone time.”

— The 49ers will sign Equanimeous St. Brown after his audition Monday with a handful of other wide receivers. He entered the NFL as a Green Bay Packers’ 2018 sixth-round draft pick, then joined the Chicago Bears from 2022-23 before playing two games last season with the New Orleans Saints.

— The 49ers are awaiting word from the NFL on potential discipline for Demarcus Robinson, who recently pleaded no contest to a drunk-driving charge from last season’s arrest in Los Angeles. “We knew there was a possibility when we signed Demarcus and accounted for that. That is a legal matter and it’s playing out,” Lynch added.

Notes

Running back Christian McCaffrey and left tackle Trent Williams are healthy and on specified practice plans this camp. McCaffrey practiced one week last training camp before calf issues sidelined him; Williams was a holdout until securing an extension in Week 1. Said Shanahan: “I’m glad they’re both here and healthy and they have a chance to build their bodies to get through the season, where they haven’t in the past.” … Left guard Ben Bartch injured a quadricep during workouts away from the team facility and is on the non-football-injury list because of it. Shanahan said Bartch remains in competition with Nick Zakelj and potential swing tackle Spencer Burford. … Second-year players such as Pearsall, Mustapha, Renardo Green and Dominick Puni need to keep ascending, said Shanahan, adding: “You talk about a sophomore slump a lot and we’re not in a position we can afford that.” … On cornerback Deommodore Lenoir’s arrest in Los Angeles last month for obstruction of justice, Lynch said: “We’ve talked with D-Mo. Of course we’d like our players not to be involved in those things. That’s a legal matter and will work itself out. We have a lot of faith in D-Mo and who he is as a person.”

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