Getty Tashaun Gipson lining up for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
With the San Francisco 49ers‘ 2022 season officially over, fans have already begun combing over the roster to see which players will stick around and which will test the open market and potentially land elsewhere on a more lucrative contract. Could Tashaun Gipson, the Niners’ practice squad player-turned-every-game starter, be on that list? Potentially so, but not because he wants to play for another team. No, according to Gipson himself, playing another season in 2023 is far from a guarantee, as the call for retirement is beginning to sound.
“I’m going to decompress and see where I’m at,” Gipson said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “This was only supposed to be until Jimmie Ward got healthy, but I’m so grateful. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.”
Gipson is correct, as he was supposed to simply start in place of Ward until he returned from injury in October. Fortunately for the collegiate University of Wyoming Cowboy, his fit with Talanoa Hufanga was so seamless that when Ward returned, he was relegated to the slot in order to keep Gipson in place at free safety.
“That youthfulness, I can’t tell you enough,” Gipson said. “(Hufanga) will be one of the sole reasons, honestly, for me wanting to continue playing. That’s how much love and gratitude I’ve got for him. I wouldn’t be here without him.”
Fortunately for Gipson, his admiration for Hufanga is mutual, as the first-time Pro Bowler has been incredibly appreciative of everything his OG has done for him as a pro.
Talanoa Hufanga’s Been Incredibly Appreciative of Tashaun Gipson
Speaking with reporters back in October, Hufanga sang the praises of Gipson both on the field and in the locker room.
“I don’t want to get emotional and stuff because Tashaun has been a great mentor for me,” Hufanga told Carlos Ramirez, Donte Whitner and Rod Brooks on “49ers Postgame Live.” “He came in and with our chemistry it has… has been incredible.”
“A guy that brings so much knowledge to the game, and for as old as he is, as I joke around with him, all the energy and juice he brings along with it.”
To his credit, Gipson was complimentary at the time, too, laying out a goal he wanted to see for the second-year pro.
“I told him I [saw] it in him. I said, ‘Man, you’re going to be the best safety in the league… My job is to get you where you’re trying to go,'” Gipson said on Oct. 30. “I asked him what his goals [were]. He said, ‘Man, I just want to get to a Pro Bowl.'”
Fortunately for Gipson, Hufanga was named to the Pro Bowl and earned an All-Pro honor for his efforts too, perfectly proving what 49ers fans have known all season long: Hufanga is one of the best safeties in the NFL.
Jimmie Ward’s San Francisco 49ers Return Doesn’t Sound too Likely
If Gipson does retire, the 49ers will have to turn their attention to Jimmie Ward, who is going to earn yet another eight-figure payday as he approaches free agency. Speaking with David Lombardi after the NFC Championship game, Ward discussed his versatility before assuring San Francisco fans that they will have a good team whether he returns or not.
“I’m good at safety and I’m good at nickel. I’m a good football player, so it’s going to help me in free agency,” Ward said via Lombardi. “I feel like the 49ers are going to have a great team next year and years to come. They’ve got some great players in this building and a great coaching staff, great GM, great owner. They know what they’re doing. So I’m pretty sure they’re going to be in this position next year.”
Can the 49ers weather the loss of Gipson or Ward? Yes, but losing both would leave a relatively big hole on the back end of the team’s defense, regardless of who they hire to replace DeMeco Ryans. If Gipson hangs up his cleats, retaining Ward may become a bigger priority for John Lynch.