49ers roster: Will there be a market for Jason Verrett in 2022?

Oft-injured veteran cornerback Jason Verrett likely won’t be back with the 49ers in 2022, and one has to wonder if another team will be interested in him.

The San Francisco 49ers made it all the way to within just a few key plays of appearing in Super Bowl LVI this season, ultimately falling short in the 2022 NFC Championship game to the Los Angeles Rams.

The Niners did so without their presumed No. 1 cornerback going into the regular season, Jason Verrett.

Verrett’s injury history is a lengthy one, which led to his original signing with the Niners in 2019 as more of a low-risk, potentially high-reward scenario. But after dealing with ankle injuries that season and only seeing a mere two snaps — one defensive pass-interference call and a touchdown allowed — he was shut down while San Francisco advanced to the Super Bowl that season.

Still, Verrett bounced back after mulling retirement that offseason, proving his value amid a relatively injury-free 2020 campaign that should have warranted consideration for the Pro Bowl.

That prompted the 49ers to take another small gamble, re-signing the 2021 free agent to a one-year, $5.5 million contract to stick around.

Except Verrett tore his ACL in the Niners’ season-opening Week 1 win over the Detroit Lions.

There doesn’t seem to be any way San Francisco will entertain the idea of relying on Verrett to stay healthy again, not after his most recent season-ending injury. And while the 49ers still do have roster shortcomings at his position, it’s likely they’ll turn elsewhere for help this offseason.

So, is there ultimately going to be a market for Verrett in 2022?

If not with 49ers, where will Jason Verrett sign in 2022?

Verrett’s injury history is the overarching theme here. Despite his excellent Pro Bowl 2015 campaign with the San Diego Chargers, Verrett nevertheless appeared in just six regular-season games between 2016 and 2019, the latter being the first year in which he joined the Niners.

Any injury is unfortunate, and no player in his prime wants to succumb to them. But, for whatever the reasons, some players end up being more prone to injuries than others.

Verrett certainly falls into that category.

There’s no shortage of teams needing cornerback help this offseason. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ secondary was proverbially “leaking oil” for much of 2021, even signing former San Francisco corner Richard Sherman as a stopgap option. Another playoff contender like the Green Bay Packers might have to settle on low-cost, high-risk options like Verrett, too.

And there are the rebuilding teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and New York Jets who need corner help this offseason

That said, Verrett will turn 31 years old by the time next season rolls around, and it’s even plausible he looks back at what’s happened to him, physically, in recent years and elects to retire to save his body as much as possible.

Read More: 4 Niners players who should consider retirement in 2022

It’s also possible the league makes up his decision for him, Verrett receiving no offers from any of the other 31 teams out there.

Should that be the case, it’d be unfortunate. Yet another example of a talented player whose career was ultimately derailed by injuries.