49ers roster: 4 pending free agents Niners must bring back in 2022
By Peter Panacy
49ers Re-Sign Priority No. 3: Cornerback Jason Verrett
This might be something of a contingent priority for San Francisco, but it would at least be wise for John Lynch and Co. to strongly consider retaining veteran cornerback Jason Verrett in 2022 and beyond.
Verrett, who signed a team-friendly one-year deal to hang around last season, also enjoyed a fully healthy year for the first time since 2015. Yet the injury concerns remain, and they’re not likely to automatically get better considering he just turned 30 years old.
Hence the contingency part. Let’s see if he stays healthy.
If Verrett does stay healthy, though, re-signing Verrett on a quality two- or three-year deal would make a lot of sense, especially given the 49ers secondary will likely look awfully different in 2022. The two rookie corners, Ambry Thomas and Deommodore Lenoir, may not be fully ready to start next year, let alone this season, and there have been plenty of pre- and post-NFL Draft scouting reports suggesting they’re both nickel-type defensive backs rather than names who can occupy the boundary.
Regardless, it would be wise for the Niners to budget some funds to retain Verrett as a solid veteran piece while the rest of the defensive backfield begins to transition over to a youth movement.