Cornerback Jason Verrett will sign a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Verrett spent the first four seasons of his pro career with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers.
49ers signing former Chargers’ CB Jason Verrett to a one-year, $3.6 million deal, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2019
Cornerback Jason Verrett Signs One-Year Deal With San Francisco 49ers
After injury derailed his season last year with the Chargers, Verrett is getting another chance. It has been an unfortunate trend that Verrett’s seasons have been cut short. Verrett has only played five games in the past three seasons after getting off to an excellent start in his career. Pro Football Focus graded him out at an excellent 85.1 and 88.4 in his first two seasons and he was named to the Pro Bowl both years.
Verrett, when healthy, has proven to be one of the league’s best cover corners. He’ll be hoping to get back to his 2015 form when the former TCU Horned Frog tallied 12 pass defenses with three interceptions and a touchdown.
Of course, Verrett’s injury history plays a part in his value, and it’s a mystery if he’ll be able to bounce back into Pro Bowl form. In fact, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to do so quickly. Having only played 323 snaps since 2015, Verrett has effectively spent the better part of three years not playing football.
His injury history itself is scary as well. His rookie season was derailed by a torn labrum and rotator cuff. After his stellar 2015 campaign, he found himself the victim of an ACL tear in 2016 and was placed on injured reserve in 2017 with knee issues after just one game.
2018 was his most unfortunate injury to date. On reporting day of Chargers’ training camp, Verrett tore his Achilles tendon, and his hopes for a bounce-back season were lost. While there is a healthy precedent for players returning to the NFL after Achilles injuries, Verrett’s history makes him a bit of an enigma.
Verrett will turn 28 in June, entering what is typically considered to be the prime of a player’s career. His window of opportunity to bounce back is small, but if he can regain his 2015 form, he will be an excellent candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.
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