Getty Tony Jefferson gets carted off the field in 2019 after injury in Pittsburgh.
The Baltimore Ravens released former safety Tony Jefferson a year ago, and it’s taken that long for the veteran to craft a way back into the NFL after injury struck in 2019.
Jefferson was cut from the roster in 2020 by the team, and ended up sitting out the 2021 season. He wanted back into the game, though, and has forged his league return ahead of the 2021 year.
The latest Ravens news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Ravens newsletter here!
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jefferson is coming back and signing with the San Francisco 49ers for this coming season.
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.
Jefferson’s comeback to the league comes at a time when the defensive backfield has renewed importance. It’s a passing league now, and teams are looking for whatever edge they need in order to get by and shut down the opposition. Jefferson will add an element of toughness and playmaking to the San Francisco secondary, which was beat up more than a bit in 2020.
It’s good to see a former productive member of the team landing a new job in the league and keeping his career going after injury slowed him a few years back.
Jefferson’s Career Stats
When he was playing with Baltimore, Jefferson was a very productive player who put up 451 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 4 interceptions and 8 forced fumbles. He started his career with Arizona in 2013, and played there until 2016 when he came to the Ravens ahead of the 2017 year. Jefferson suffered an unfortunate ACL injury during the 2019 season which cut his time short in Baltimore, and he was released the following February in 2020. All of last season, he lingered on the market and looked as if he might want to retire, but the decision was made to continue on and forge a new career in San Francisco.
The former Oklahoma product was undrafted in 2013, but has carved out a nice NFL role for himself in the meantime, and that career will now continue with the 49ers.
Ravens Secondary Deep and Crowded
Why did the Ravens not elect to bring Jefferson back in 2020? They have a very deep group on the defensive side in the backfield already. The Ravens have plenty of solid players at safety including Chuck Clark, DeShon Elliott, Jordan Richards, Brandon Stephens, Geno Stone and Anthony Levine. The team also added Ar’Darius Washington as well as Shaun Wade, who could play safety as well. That’s a fairly loaded group, so in order to stand out and make the roster, Washington is going to have to come into camp on a mission and play well from the start.
Now, Jefferson will get a new lease on life with a new team where he will have a bigger chance to make a bigger impact than he may have in Baltimore. Though he played well with the team, there is no question that Jefferson deserves to move on and have a bigger role elsewhere for his future, especially after the injury which cut his time with the team short.
READ NEXT: Ravens Sign Former Falcons Practice Squad Standout