Tashaun Gipson Sr. Faces Suspension

The announcement of NFL safety, Tashaun Gipson Sr.’s suspension came out on Tuesday, July 2nd. The suspension is set to take place in the first six games of the 2024 season. The news was initially announced by Adam Schefter on X. Here is a look at the known details of the suspension, and what could be next for Gipson in the NFL.

Tashuan Gipson Sr.’s Suspension Details

Gipson, who spent the past two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, is currently a free agent. The announcement of his suspension came as a bit of a surprise. When the news of the suspension broke, there were no details of why. Just a couple of minutes after the initial announcement, Schefter later confirmed that the six-game suspension was due to violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. From a team’s standpoint, the good news for them is that he is a current free agent. This means that no team has to put a focus on replacing their safety now.

Aside from the understanding that it is for violating the PED policy, there is no other information. It is possible he simply was taking a medication that an outside doctor provided, not approved by the NFL. The violation could also be more than that. It is possible that more information on that will be released at a later time. For now, the safety will just be missing the first six games of the 204 season.

Future of Gipson in the NFL

Gipson has been playing safety with the San Francisco 49ers for the past two years. He was a veteran that came in as depth in 2022. He eventually helped a young Talanoa Hufanga. The two eventually became the 49ers’ starting safeties. Even as a veteran in his 30s, Gipson came through for San Francisco many times. Despite signing as depth, his skills helped his role grow with the team. In 2023, the 49ers re-signed him to a one-year deal, making him a free agent this year. The 49ers did not re-sign Gipson during the 2024 free agency despite having young safeties and Hufanga recovering from an ACL tear. So the question being asked prior to this news was already, what is next for Gipson’s career? Now, while that question can still be asked, there may now be a reason for him to make his decision based on the suspension.

Gipson is currently 33 years old and will be 34 during the season. After 12 seasons in the league, there is a good chance that Gipson could decide to retire anyway. The suspension could possibly be the push for the veteran to make the retirement decision. Of course, he may just come back as well, no one but him knows that answer. Gipson is a solid player who could be a strong addition to a contender late in the season.

Gipson’s Career

In Gipson’s career, he has spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, and of course, the San Francisco 49ers. With the 49ers, he has been a part of a team that has made the NFC Championship two years in a row, and once to the Super Bowl. In his career, Gipson has had 33 interceptions, 684 combined tackles, and 492 solo tackles, according to Pro Football Reference. In the 2023 regular season, Gipson was targeted 25 times, only allowing 11 receptions, according to Pro Football Focus. If the safety does not retire this year, it would be smart for teams in need of safety depth to keep an eye on his availability after the first six weeks.