49ers free agency: Grading 2021 additions and losses

Grading 49ers’ one-year deal for Jason Verrett

2020 was almost a storybook season for Verrett, particularly after he saw action in just six regular-season games between 2016 and 2019 while dealing with a myriad of serious injuries.

Bouncing back to his Pro Bowl-level form, Verrett was easily San Francisco’s best and most consistent cornerback and a key reason why the 49ers boasted the league’s fifth-best defense despite a series of injuries all over that side of the ball.

And for the Niners to retain him for one more year at $5.3 million, plus incentives?

A great deal.

It’s a win-win scenario for both sides, although some may argue Verrett could have gotten more on the open market. From Verrett’s vantage point, he’s banking on himself to put the injury history to rest once and for all, backing up his strong 2020 effort with another this season. And once the NFL salary cap bounces back in 2022, he’ll look to finally cash in after his upcoming one-year gamble.

From San Francisco’s standpoint, it gets a quality starter on the cheap, allowing the 49ers to potentially draft and develop a long-term replacement this season instead of panicking with a would-be replacement.

The injury concerns are still there. But as far as value-versus-production goes, it’s hard to fault either side with this NFL free agency move.