49ers Players & Coaches React to ‘Heartbreaking’ Jason Verrett Injury
Nov 10, 2022, 5:00 PM | Updated: Nov 11, 2022, 8:29 am
San Francisco 49ers defensive back Jason Verrett leaves the field after an injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Michigan USA, on Sunday, September 12, 2021. (Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Just when the 49ers were almost back to full strength, the injury bug comes back to haunt them.
San Francisco announced Thursday that veteran cornerback Jason Verrett suffered a torn Achilles tendon during Wednesday’s practice, ending his season prematurely once again.
Verrett, 31, was nearing a return to the gridiron after tearing his ACL in Week 1 of the 2021 season. Activated off the PUP list prior to the team’s bye week, JV had been preparing to make his season debut this week against his former organization, the Los Angeles Chargers. He even led the secondary group in drills Wednesday during the media portion of practice.
Unfortunately, history repeated itself, as Verrett will now have surgery to repair his left Achilles, casting a dark shadow throughout the organization.
“As you would expect, it was a somber mood for everyone,” defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said Thursday. “We all feel for JV. We know the work he put in to come back…He’s given us everything he had. It’s just an unfortunate thing…All our thoughts are with him at this time.”
Ryans also revealed that the injury occurred on a non-contact play, typical for soft tissue injuries of this magnitude. In fact, the mood was so bleak that the team struggled to get through the rest of practice Wednesday, feeling the burden of their fallen teammate.
“It took the life out of everybody at practice,” wide receiver Deebo Samuel stated. “Like literally [head coach Kyle Shanahan] tried to bring it up but he couldn’t really talk and so he was just like ‘what you guys want to do?’ At the end of the day, it’s a part of the job, and that would be the last guy I want to see on this team go down, knowing all the things that he’s been through. We hold it up as a team and everybody prayed for him.”
Deebo Samuel says that the 49ers struggled to finish Wednesday’s practice after Jason Verrett went down — the injury took a massive emotional toll on the team
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) November 10, 2022
It’s more than just his potential with the team however, the Fairfield native is an inspiration to so many young secondary members on the 49ers, routinely giving teammates tips and tricks to make them better overall players. Whether it’s the work that he puts in or just being in the locker room, the team loves him and will miss his presence in practice.
“Brutal. Devastating. Heartbreaking. It just sucked,” tight end George Kittle added. “You see him every day, you see the work that he puts in every single day. His rehab, his recovery, how he works-out. his mindset. Talks to the guys, encourages guys and gives tips to other [cornerbacks], the young guys…Everyone here loves JV. I know he loves being a part of this team. He’s a big part of this team, whether he’s on the field or off the field.”
The former TCU standout has been plagued with injuries throughout his NFL tenure, only featuring in 18 games since the 2016 season. Now faced with another major setback, his football career is in jeopardy going forward.
