Look through the top photos from Jason Verrett's 2015 season.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Golden Tate (15) and San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) battle for a ball during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) defends on Cincinnati Bengals tight end Ryan Hewitt (89) during an NFL football game in Cincinnati, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015. (Jeff Haynes/AP Images for Panini)
Chargers travel to Baltimore in week 8 but come up short losing with a last second field goal, 29-26
San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) during an NFL preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015 in San Diego. The Chargers won the game 17-7. (AP Photo/Ric Tapia)
The Chargers take on the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau and lose in a close shootout 27-20
Chargers take on the Denver Broncos in a week 13 battle and fall short, 17-3.
San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett, left, breaks up an end zone pass to Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, right, during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 9, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
The Chargers lose to the Chicago Bears in the Annual Salute to Service game on Monday Night Football, 22-19.
The Chargers lose to the Chicago Bears in the Annual Salute to Service game on Monday Night Football, 22-19.
The Chargers battle the Raiders in the first divisional game of the season but fall short, 37-29
The Chargers battle the Raiders in the first divisional game of the season but fall short, 37-29
The Chargers take on the Chiefs and drop their 6th straight, 33-3
The Chargers take on the Chiefs and drop their 6th straight, 33-3
The Chargers take on the Chiefs and drop their 6th straight, 33-3
The Chargers lose to the Raiders 23-20 in a thrilling overtime game in Oakland.
San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) dances and celebrates after breaking up a first quarter pass intended for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) during the 2015 NFL week 5 regular season football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, Oct. 12, 2015 in San Diego. The Steelers won the game 24-20. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
Chargers take on the Denver Broncos in a week 13 battle and fall short, 17-3.
San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett brakes up a pass as Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown looks on during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 12, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) intercepts a pass intended for Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (10) during third quarter in the NFL game in San Diego, Calif. December 6, 2015. (Eric Bakke via AP)
San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett, left, intercepts a pass intended for Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders during the second half in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
The Chargers prepare take on the Jaguars in a week 12 road game.
San Diego Chargers Jason Verrett (22) during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 29,2015 in Jacksonville, FL.
(Tom DiPace via AP )
Chargers head to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs but fall short 10-3.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) can't hold on to a pass while defended by San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) during the second half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
San Diego Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) makes an interception of a pass intended for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (19) during the first half of their NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
Chargers head to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs but fall short 10-3.
The Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins in the final home game of the 2015 season 30-14.
The Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins in the final home game of the 2015 season 30-14.
Over the coming days, we'll highlight a few notable Chargers with their 2016 Media Guide profile. Up next is cornerback Jason Verrett.
After experiencing personal development and success in 2015, Jason Verrett is hungry for more.
Verrett was selected to his first Pro Bowl and named Chargers Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his career in 2015 after pacing the squad in interceptions and passes defensed. The opportunity to finish the season in Hawaii is an experience that Verrett will never forget and it will serve as added motivation for the former first-round pick in 2016.
Verrett also scored his first NFL touchdown in 2015 when he returned a Jay Cutler pass 68 yards for a touchdown during an ESPN Monday Night Football game at Qualcomm Stadium.
Verrett typically was called upon to face the opponent's top receiver and he delivered. With him leading the way, San Diego's pass defense was one of the NFL's best the last month of the 2015 season. From Dec. 1 on (five games), the Chargers allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards in the NFL (993) and the Bolts' pass defense recorded more interceptions (five) than touchdown passes allowed (four). Another of Verrett's interceptions came on Dec. 13 in a game against Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. When Verrett picked off the Chiefs' Alex Smith, it marked Smith's first interception in 313 pass attempts (10 games), which had been the second-longest streak in NFL history.
That Verrett is even playing football is a small miracle. Back in 2010 during his freshman season at Santa Rosa Junior College, Verrett suffered a hamstring injury. Trainers told him to go home and ice the leg. What they didn't tell him to do was fall asleep with the ice on his leg. Verrett did just that and he slept a full night with the ice on his injured hamstring. He suffered a third-degree burn because of it. Fortunately his mom insisted he go to the hospital where doctors told him had he waited any longer to seek treatment, his leg very well could have become infected and if it had, doctors most likely would have had to amputate it.
After earning all-state and all-conference honors in his lone season at Santa Rosa, Verrett transferred to Texas Christian for the 2011 season. In his first ever game for the Horned Frogs, they faced a Baylor team that was led by quarterback Robert Griffin III "RG3" and future NFL wide receiver Kendall Wright. It was a rough introduction for Verrett as Griffin threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns, while Wright, whom Verrett spent most of the day covering, caught 12 passes for 189 yards and two scores. So distraught was Verrett after the miserable performance to begin his TCU career, he actually contemplated quitting school and returning home. Two phone calls quickly made it clear that that was not going to be an option. The first was to his brother Tre' and the second was to Lenny Wagner, his freshman coach at Santa Rosa. Neither man was going to stand by and let Verrett quit. And little did Verrett know as he would come to find out later, the man who drafted him, Chargers General Manager, Tom Telesco, was at the TCU-Baylor game that day, scouting for the Indianapolis Colts.
Verrett ultimately settled down and improved each week. Six games into the season, coaches moved him into the starting lineup and the results were dramatic. Over the Horned Frogs' first six games, the defense was surrendering 267.7 passing yards and 410.0 total yards per game, but then over the last seven games with Verrett in the starting 11, the defense improved significantly, yielding just 194.7 passing yards and 310.0 total yards per game. By the end of the year, Verrett had shown enough to earn honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference honors.
Verrett went on to start three seasons at TCU and as a senior in 2013, he was named the Big 12 Conference's co-Defensive Player of the Year, a consensus second-team All-America and a first-team All-Big 12 pick. One of the nation's top cover corners that season, opposing quarterbacks only threw 52 passes in his direction and only 17 were completed. Already touted as a likely first-round pick, Verrett's stock went up after he clocked a 4.38 in the 40-yard-dash at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine, the second-fastest time among the cornerbacks.
Verrett is a native of Fairfield in Northern California. It's home to the Jelly Belly candy factory. Verrett's entire family, including his father, Warren, grew up Raiders fans. Brother Tre even works for the Raiders as a client services representative. Verrett joked after his introductory press conference that as soon as he was drafted by the Chargers, the entire family would be converting their allegiance to the Chargers.
For the last two years (2015-16), Verrett has served as Race Ambassador for the Kaiser Permanente Bolt to the Q, an annual race from Chargers Park to Qualcomm Stadium that helps support the Boys and Girls Clubs of San Diego.
Verrett was a sports broadcasting major at TCU. ESPN SportsCenter anchor, Stan Verrett, is a distant cousin.
TRANSACTION HISTORY: First-round pick by Chargers, (25), May 8, 2014...signed May 30.
