49ers free agency: 5 players Niners won’t bring back in 2022
By Peter Panacy
49ers free agent No. 2: Cornerback Jason Verrett
One of the reasons why Josh Norman was pushed into a prominent role last season was because of San Francisco losing its No. 1 cornerback, Jason Verrett, to a season-ending ACL injury way back in Week 1.
It was devastating, and one can feel terrible for Verrett, who enjoyed a relatively injury-free 2020 campaign with the 49ers and certainly played at a Pro Bowl level despite not receiving the accolade.
Yet the Niners can be blamed for hinging too much hope on Verrett staying healthy last season. After all, Verrett had appeared in just six regular-season games between 2016 and 2019 because of various injuries, and the likelihood of him being beset by another serious setback was already high entering 2021.
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The injury was extremely unfortunate for Verrett, who’ll turn 31 years old by the time the next season begins, as his 2021 contract was a prove-it kind of deal.
Sadly, Verrett couldn’t prove he could stay healthy, and it’s hard to fathom another team giving him a lofty deal in 2022 despite all his on-field talents.