Back in March, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch floated the idea of them bringing back Tashaun Gipson when asked about the team's lack of safety depth.
Speaking at the NFL's annual meetings, Lynch said: "Tashaun Gipson is a guy that we've always kept in touch with and will continue to."
Since then, the 49ers have added to their depth chart by selecting Wake Forest safety Malik Mustapha in the fourth round of this year's draft. However, with the Niners still lacking a convincing insurance policy behind starters Ji'Ayir Brown and Talanoa Hufanga , who is coming off a torn ACL, it has been thought the Niners might explore making another signing at the position.
Gipson stood out as an obvious candidate given he started for the 49ers for the last two seasons, including in February's Super Bowl defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
But any potential reunion between the 49ers and Gipson has been complicated by news that came through on the NFL's transaction wire on Tuesday.
Gipson has been suspended for the first six games of the NFL season for a violation of the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.
The suspension doesn't prohibit the 49ers from signing Gipson, and it may remove any potential competition from rival teams. They could sign him and get him re-acclimated in training camp and preseason before the official start of his suspension. Alternatively, they could sign Gipson for camp and preseason, release him and then sign him back to the practice squad.
But if the 49ers want to add a veteran safety net at the position, they will likely prefer one who will be available for the entire season.
And they are not exactly short of options in that regard, with a host of free agents still available on a safety market that has collapsed this offseason.
Lynch did not make it clear when he spoke about keeping in touch with Gipson whether the 34-year-old has an interest in continuing to play. Gipson had previously flirted with retirement following the 2022 season.
But if there was mutual interest on both sides, it would have been a simple signing for the 49ers to make. News of the suspension may give San Francisco pause and make alternatives on the open market more attractive if the Niners are indeed still looking to add at safety. A 49ers-Gipson reunion could still happen, but it's a little less appealing than it once might have seemed.
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