With OTAs and mandatory minicamp officially in the rearview mirror, the NFL will now turn its attention to training camp next month and the preseason.
The San Francisco 49ers will begin training camp in mid-July, with rookies reporting on July 15. Rookies will have a week to become acclimated to training camp before the veterans show up on July 22.
The 49ers could make some changes to their 90-man roster before training camp begins, as several notable free agents are sitting out on the open market. However, multiple former 49ers are still holding out hope that they will get signed in the next few weeks.
Ex-49er Tashaun Gipson Still Available in Free Agency Weeks Before Training Camp
Veteran safety Tashaun Gipson is one of those former 49ers sitting at home, waiting for that call to come work out or sign with a new team.
The 34-year-old defensive back spent the second half of last season with the 49ers after serving a six-game suspension with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Gipson signed a one-year deal with the Jaguars last offseason after spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons in the Bay Area. The veteran defender never played in a single game with the Jags, who released Gipson from the commissioner’s exempt list on Nov. 4, 2024.
The Niners didn’t waste any time bringing Gipson back to the team, signing him to the practice squad the next day. Gipson was only on the practice squad for a few weeks before the 49ers signed him to the active roster.
Overall, the veteran safety appeared in nine games last year with the 49ers. Gipson recorded six combined tackles and a pass deflection. He played a little bit on defense (57 snaps) and special teams (56 snaps).
In his first two seasons with the 49ers, Gipson played 1,036 and 976 defensive snaps, which was eye-opening for a player who was 32 and 33 years old.
That said, at his age now, you likely don’t want the 34-year-old playing that many snaps, unless you have to.
Given some of the younger talent still available in free agency at safety (Marcus Williams and Julian Blackmon), along with a Pro Bowler like Justin Simmons, it's not surprising to see Gipson not signed yet. His market won’t develop until after those players are signed, and it's not clear when that will happen.