The San Francisco 49ers are expected to lose captain and starting cornerback Richard Sherman in 2021 NFL free agency, but they can rest assured one of his top colleagues will be back. As ESPN's Josina Anderson first reported, the Niners have re-signed fellow starting corner Jason Verrett to a one-year contract, preventing one of their most promising defensive backs of 2020 from officially hitting free agency. General manager John Lynch has since confirmed the deal, which is reportedly worth a base of $5.5 million.
The 29-year-old Verrett was among the bigger names set to hit the market at corner. A first-round draft pick of the Chargers back in 2014, the TCU product played in 13 games for the 49ers in 2020, matching a career high with 13 starts and posting a personal-best 60 tackles to go along with two interceptions and seven pass deflections. Verrett has battled injuries throughout his career, never playing a full season and appearing in just six combined games from 2016-2019, but stepped up as one of San Francisco's steadiest cover men, especially in relief of an injured Sherman, in his second season with the club.
With both Sherman and fellow corner Akhello Witherspoon also bound for free agency, Verrett figures to remain a starter in 2021, with the chance to earn more than $5.5 million via incentives and re-enter the market in 2022.
