JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Veteran NFL safety Tashaun Gipson is already hunting for a new number.
Gipson was handed No. 47 — the only jersey available for his position group — when he arrived for training camp practice in Jacksonville on Monday. It looked and felt awkward for the 13th-year pro who spent three previous seasons (2016-18) wearing No. 39 for the Jaguars.
Rookie kicker Cam Little is currently wearing No. 39, but Gipson is holding out hope that Little might want a different number once the roster gets whittled down to 53.
“I’m not used to this and don’t (anyone else) get used to this,” Gipson quipped Tuesday. “I would like to get (39) back, but at this point, if he has ties to it, I think I’m going to have to find another number. But 39 always has a special place in my heart for sure.”
So does Jacksonville, which was the main reason Gipson jumped at the chance to rejoin the franchise despite being suspended for the first six games of the regular season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancers.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity,” said Gipson, who has acknowledged taking a supplement that contained a banned substance. “I’m grateful that they had enough respect for me as a man, as a player, as a person, to bring me in here and give me an opportunity. Nothing but love for the city, the organization, from the bottom of my heart.
“I’m just going to try to be a resource and try to pick these guys’ brains and kind of go from there.”
Gipson has started 165 games over 12 seasons with Cleveland, Jacksonville, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco. He has 33 interceptions, including at least one in every year since signing with the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He started 33 games for the 49ers over the past two years, advancing to two NFC championship games and a Super Bowl.
The Jaguars gave him a one-year deal to essentially be a midseason insurance policy, a guy who would become available beginning Week 7 against New England in London. Jacksonville is expected to be without backup Andrew Wingard for at least the first month of the regular season, and fellow safety Darnell Savage is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
So Gipson should get on the field in the preseason and might be a viable option for down the road.
“It’s a veteran player that we’re familiar with, who gives us more depth, gives us an opportunity at safety that right now kind of fills a spot,” coach Doug Pederson said.
Gipson joins a growing list of aging veterans signed by general manager Trent Baalke this year. The Jaguars previously added three starters with at least a decade of experience: center Mitch Morse, defensive lineman Arik Armstead and cornerback Ronald Darby.
In a league in which teams are usually trying to get younger, Jacksonville is headed in the other direction — part of a push to avoid the kind of late-season collapse that knocked the franchise out of the playoff picture a year ago.
“A lot of the things are above the shoulders,” Gipson said. “Some things talent can’t do. I’m a little long in the tooth. I try to spread wisdom as much as I can to these young guys and hopefully it sticks to them. It could just be that extra play that might be a game changer that could get us to where we need to go.”
It remains to be seen what number Gipson will be wearing for what could be his final NFL journey.
“It’ll be something different than 47,” he said. “That’s all I know.”
NOTES: The Jaguars activated Armstead (knee) from the physically unable to perform list. He is expected to practice Wednesday against Tampa Bay.
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Newly signed Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson in search of a different number after 2 days of camp
FILE - San Francisco 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. (31) celebrates during the second half of the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. The Jacksonville Jaguars signed veteran safety Gipson to a one-year contract Sunday, Aug. 11, reuniting him with the franchise despite a six-game suspension to start the regular season. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Newly signed Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson in search of a different number after 2 days of camp
