Los Angeles Chargers: Jason Verrett deserves one more chance

Jason Verrett has not been on the field for the Los Angeles Chargers for most of his NFL career but the team should give him one last chance.

The Los Angeles Chargers secondary quickly emerged as one of the best in the NFL due to certain players stepping up and exceeding expectations.

Casey Hayward became a player deserving of the top cornerback job on the Chargers during the 2017 season and signed a contract extension with the team as a result.

Second-year corner Desmond King got even better in 2018 and was an All-Pro as a result. King was huge on the defense for the Chargers and had a massive punt return touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers as well.

More from LA Sports Hub

Rookie Derwin James lived up to his expectations and then some. While he was highly touted entering his rookie year, he immediately burst onto the scene and was one of the best safeties in the entire year in his rookie year.

Trevor Williams has been better than expected and has kept the secondary from falling off talent-wise from Hayward and King.

All of this despite not having 2014 first-round pick, Jason Verrett, on the field for most of his Chargers career.

Verrett has practically not played the last two seasons. He made one appearance in 2017 and suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the beginning days of training camp this season.

Verrett has played just five games the last three years and has played a total of 25 games in his five-year career. While it is very hard to play every game in the NFL, Verrett has played in only 31.25 percent of Chargers’ games since getting drafted.

Because of this poor injury history, it appears as if Verrett’s days with the Los Angeles Chargers are over. It certainly would be understandable if the Chargers just move on from the injury-prone Verrett.

However, the team should give Verrett one last chance. It should not be a chance that has a high price tag, though. Instead, the team should sign Verrett to a small one-year contract in hopes that he can be healthy.

Verrett is not going to get a lot of offers with only one full season under his belt. At best, Verrett might get a handful of suitors offering one-year contracts with the same logic as the Chargers.

Unless some team blindly offers Verrett more money or a larger contract then the Chargers should be able to re-sign the former first-round pick. It might not seem like a smart move but it is a low-risk move that could have a high payoff.

Verrett is talented, there is no debating that. He was a Pro Bowler in his only full season and could recapture that potential with health. It won’t hurt the Charger to sign a one-year deal worth $1 million to give Verrett one more chance.

If he gets hurt again the team can just cut him. It won’t have any negative effects on the team or salary cap.

Meanwhile, if he plays great then it would help both parties. The Los Angeles Chargers would get another great corner to play in the secondary and Verrett would get a chance to prove his worth and negotiate another contract with a different team in the following offseason.

History indicates that Verrett won’t be playing much in 2019, and I totally get that.

Next. The perfect linebacker for the Chargers. dark

However, it should not stop the Los Angeles Chargers from making the risk-free move that is on the table to sign Verrett to a one-year contract.

Home/Los Angeles Chargers