© Mitchell Layton-USA TODAY Sports
As the summer rolls on, the 49ers continue to stack depth. On Monday, they added another safety who, if healthy, would be a valuable piece given his cost. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, San Francisco will sign Tony Jefferson, the former longtime Ravens safety who was released in February of 2020.
Former Ravens’ safety Tony Jefferson, who hasn’t played since he tore his ACL in 2019, is coming back and signing with the San Francisco 49ers, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 7, 2021
After three seasons with the Cardinals, Jefferson signed a four-year, $34 million deal with Baltimore. Five games into the 2019 season, he tore his ACL and has not played since. His release in February relieved the Ravens of his $12 million cap hit, but was viewed as a disappointing move given how well-liked Jefferson was in the locker room and how productive he’d been on the field.
San Francisco worked out Jefferson earlier this offseason, and if they get any version of the player he once was, they’ll be ecstatic. Jefferson was a highly productive tackler and spot edge rusher who improved steadily in coverage. In his last full season with Baltimore, he received a 72.4 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him 48th out of 163 safeties.
