Jason Verrett had a prime view of the San Francisco 49ers' 28-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks. The free-agent cornerback watched his former team from a Levi's Stadium suite. This week, Verrett will transition from being a fan to once again being a member of the 49ers. According to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, the cornerback has agreed to rejoin the 49ers, signing with the team's practice squad.
San Francisco has been pursuing Verrett for some time, with reports of their initial attempts to sign him surfacing on November 17, nearly a month ago. While it remains unclear what the roadblocks in the negotiations were, Verrett is finally prepared to make it official.
Verrett is well over a year removed from the Achilles injury he suffered during a 49ers practice session in 2022. That injury halted his comeback from the ACL injury he sustained in Week 1 of the 2021 season.
Injuries have plagued Verrett's NFL career, with his only healthy seasons occurring in 2015, his second year in the league, and 2020, his second season with the 49ers. Last month, head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence in the cornerback's recent health reports.
"I heard they were good in Houston, and they've been, when we worked him out, everyone said it was good, so you guys know how I feel about JV," Shanahan said. "So it's amazing that he's even back and able to do that stuff. So if we got a chance, we'd love to get him in here."
Lenoir 🤝 Verrett pic.twitter.com/D0ifhyyR40
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) December 11, 2023
Verrett remains a locker-room favorite, leaving a lasting impression during his previous stint with the 49ers.
"JV has been one of the most respected guys we've had in our building," Shanahan said. "Just the way he carries himself, how talented he is. When you just look at his footwork and how he played with us, guys always looked up to him in that way. I think he was a mentor to a lot of guys. But it was just the perseverance, how he carried himself that guys loved.
"When he did work out here the first time ... we had about seven players just go out and watch it, which I've never seen that before. So it just shows how our team felt about him."