Jason Verrett won’t cost 49ers much against salary cap

The 49ers on Monday announced the addition of veteran cornerback Jason Verrett on a one-year deal. Contract numbers from ESPN’s Field Yates show the signing is even lower-risk than it appeared when the deal was first announced.

Verrett, per Yates, “qualifies for the veteran salary benefit, carrying a cap charge of just $895k.”

Adding Verrett on a deal that will count less than $1 million under the salary cap is a no-brainer for San Francisco. He’s put in a ton of work to battle back from injuries since joining the club in 2019. A knee injury cut his 2019 campaign short, then an ACL tear in Week 1 of 2021 ended his year before it could ever get going.

The 2020 season where he was healthy and started 13 games is why San Francisco is bringing him back. This isn’t a desperation signing where they’ll need a ton of snaps from him. He’ll likely fill a depth role as a seasoned veteran who can provide help should the 49ers need to dig into their depth chart.

Last year they had no such insurance on their roster and it led to some struggles in their secondary.

Verrett isn’t a lock to even make the team, but it’s hard to imagine him getting beat out if he returns and gets through training camp healthy.