Somehow, this is real. Jason Verrett suffered a torn Achilles tendon in practice on Wednesday, the 49ers announced. This is absolutely brutal news for a player who has spent the majority of his career recovering from severe injuries.
In his rookie season in 2014, Verrett was sidelined for most of the year with a labrum tear. In his sophomore year, he was a Pro Bowl corner in his first full season with Chargers.
After that, injuries sidelined him consistently.
In 2016, Verrett suffered a torn ACL. He played just one game the following season after dealing with complications in his recovery.
In 2018, after recovering from the torn ACL, he suffered a torn Achilles. The same thing happened on Wednesday.
San Francisco signed him in 2019. He returned for two snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was not fully healthy, and was sidelined for the rest of the year.
In 2020, he had a resurgent, Pro Bowl-caliber season. Then in the first game of the 2021 campaign, he tore his ACL against the Detroit Lions.
He was nearing his return to NFL action and was scheduled to speak to 49ers media members for the first time on Thursday before the team announced the news.
Verrett been in the NFL for eight seasons and has played just two near-full seasons, and 40 career games.
It is just a horrible, deeply sad tale of a player with exceptional ability whose body just has not allowed him to stay on the field.
Klay Thompson recovered from a torn ACL, then a torn Achilles. He has been open and public about how brutal that recovery was. Having to go through that exact process twice is an unfathomably difficult proposition.
