The San Francisco 49ers had been actively pursuing Jason Verrett to join their practice squad for nearly a month. The veteran cornerback attended the team's 28-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium. Soon after, news surfaced that the two sides had reached an agreement.
On Monday, the 49ers officially announced the signing, reuniting the locker-room favorite with his former squad.
Verrett is well over a year removed from the Achilles injury he suffered during a 49ers practice session in 2022. That injury ended his comeback from the ACL injury he sustained in Week 1 of the 2021 season.
Throughout his career, Verrett has been plagued by injuries, with his only healthy NFL seasons occurring in 2015, his second year in the league, and 2020, his second season with the 49ers. Nevertheless, when he was on the field, Verrett showcased himself as one of the better corners in the league.
When questioned about expectations for Verrett, head coach Kyle Shanahan responded, "Right now, just coming in, being on the practice squad, showing us where he's at, being a part of our team that way. When you're on the practice squad, you're only a couple of plays away from possibly being a starter or just being out there on game day."
Shanahan added, "So he's going to try to show us he's ready for that moment and hopefully give us some depth here once we get a chance to see him."
No. 1 seed
With the Week 14 win over the Seahawks and the Dallas Cowboys beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, the 49ers find themselves atop the NFC playoff standings. With only four regular-season games remaining, they control their postseason destiny. If the 49ers win out, they will secure home-field advantage.
Of course, a lot can happen in this final month of football. The 49ers aren't patting themselves on the back just yet.
"I'll have a reaction when it is the number one spot, if it is, because that's when the season ends," Shanahan said. "Right now, it doesn't mean much. It just means where you're at now. And I know we won't be that if we don't handle business this week. So that's really all we're worried about this week, and then we'll move to who we play after that."