Jaguars Sign Veteran Safety Tashaun Gipson Despite A 6-Game Suspension To Start The Regular Season

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)
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)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars signed veteran safety Tashaun Gipson to a one-year contract Sunday, reuniting him with the franchise despite a six-game suspension to start the regular season.

Gipson played three seasons for Jacksonville (2016-18) and was a starter on the 2017 team that advanced to the AFC title game. The Jaguars blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter against Tom Brady and New England.

Gipson will join the team for practice beginning Monday and could end up serving as an experienced backup — essentially a midseason insurance policy — once his suspension ends in late October.

Gipson would be eligible to play for Jacksonville beginning in Week 7 against New England in London. He was suspended in early July for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

Gipson, who turned 34 last week, started 16 games for San Francisco last season. He has made 165 starts in 173 career regular-season games with Cleveland (2012-15), Jacksonville, Houston (2019), Chicago (2020-21) and the 49ers (2022-23). He has 33 career interceptions and made the Pro Bowl with the Browns in 2014.

The Jaguars are playing without veteran safety Andrew Wingard because of a knee injury that could sideline him several months.

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