Why the Likelihood of Re-Signing Jason Verrett has Increased for the 49ers

Jason Verrett had himself a stellar 2020 season.

Jason Verrett had himself a stellar 2020 season.

Seeing his climb back into prominence with minimal injury issues was a sight to see. Because of his return, you can bet your bottom dollar that the 49ers will have him atop their priority list of free agents to re-sign.

However, the 49ers are in a pinch. Verrett's value when the season ended was high, and it is not like he is their only priority. Trent Williams is another, if not THE priority to re-sign. It is either one or the other for the 49ers. That was the case when the season ended. Now I am not too sure about that. Recent events in the NFL have given the 49ers a case to make towards not giving Verrett a ton of money. 

Patrick Peterson is set to become a free agent and A.J. Bouye is being released by the Broncos. Verrett is a better player than these two based off of last season, but these two solid players becoming free agents have increased the likelihood for the 49ers to re-sign Verrett.

No longer is the cornerback market owned by Verrett. His price certainly takes a hit and gives the 49ers a chance to lock him up once free agency starts before the options start to run out. This has more to do with the rest of the teams looking to woo these players than the 49ers. Peterson and Bouye may seem like better options for teams to want to go after. 

Despite having a strong season that was better than those two, there is still concern with Verrett's ability to stay healthy. That doesn't just go away just because he had a great year. Remember, he started the season injured, so he technically still hasn't shaken the injury bug. 

With more players to compete with in a bidding war, it may just behoove Verrett to remain with the 49ers. He knows that this is the team that continued to give him endless chances like a buffet at a restaurant. Plus, he finally found something that works with the training staff that led him to be healthy after Week 2. And if the 49ers fail to bring back Trent Williams, which I think is a strong possibility, then Verrett immediately moves at the forefront for a deal.

Still, all this might not be enough to bring him back. Maybe there is a team out there that does not care too much about his injury history and wants to just live in the short-term. The Jets, of course, are the most obvious team to potentially steal him, but you can never count out a random wild card team that could just sign him because they were in love with his 2020 performance.

Free agency is still a month away, so a lot can change until then. Perhaps another cornerback gets released to make it less of a scarce market for the position.

The 49ers have a tough decision to make soon.