49ers injury news: Jason Verrett to have season-ending surgery (again)

Veteran cornerback Jason Verrett simply can't avoid the injury bug, and it's an awfully massive shame.

One could (and should) feel wholly awful for veteran San Francisco 49ers cornerback Jason Verrett, a talented defensive back who has seen his otherwise promising pro career completely derailed by injuries.

Such was the story for much of his San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers tenure, and it's been more of the same for the Niners, too.

In 2019, he played precisely two snaps for San Francisco. Sure, he was healthy for most of 2020 and played at a Pro Bowl level. But then he tore his ACL in Week 1 of the 2021 season, then suffered a torn Achilles in 2022, ending that comeback bid.

2023 had to be different, right? Right?

Jason Verrett suffers shoulder injury, will undergo season-ending surgery

A late-season signing by the 49ers, Verrett was going to support the depth at cornerback from the practice squad, and he ended up appearing in one game with a plan of playing significantly more during the Niners' regular-season finale in Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams.

And he was going to be needed, too, as San Francisco is already shorthanded at the position and will be without fellow corner Ambry Thomas (hand).

Speaking to reporters from Friday's practice, though, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Verrett fell on his shoulder during practice and ended up suffering a torn rotator cuff, one that'll require season-ending surgery:

"We were going to play him a lot in this game. He has been awesome here this last month. He jumped up for a ball and just came down on his shoulder in awkward position. It happens to a lot of guys so it’s crushing for him but also, it was a shoulder injury. It wasn’t like a knee or a leg, but you do have to get surgery for that stuff."

Shanahan also detailed just how devastating it was for Verrett, who has seen his season come to a premature end now for the eighth time:

"We talked to him right when it happened. He handles it like he does everything, like a man, but I know how it is. He’s going to be pretty down for a little bit. I hope he hangs around here because we all love him around here."

Perhaps. And Verrett did receive plenty of praise from Shanahan and others during the cornerback's brief time back with the 49ers.

For now, though, the Niners will have to figure out contingency plans, while Verrett has to overcome both the physical and mental elements of trying to come back from yet another devastating setback.

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