The San Francisco 49ers held their breath toward the end of practice on Sunday when defensive lineman Tarron Jackson collapsed on the field.
The 27-year-old Jackson absorbed a block in 11-on-11 play and promptly went to the ground. Trainers rushed in to help him as he was motionless on the field.
Jackson was placed on a stretcher, taken off the field, and transported to a local hospital in an ambulance for further medical care.
#49ers player who carted off the field was DL Tarron Jackson, per Kyle Shanahan
Jackson is in stable condition but was transferred to Stanford hospital pic.twitter.com/hNNRey6s5a
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) July 27, 2025
Running back Christian McCaffrey spoke after practice and stated that it was a stark reminder of the risks players take when they step onto the field, even at practice.
“It’s never good,” McCaffrey said.
“You just gotta pray for the best in situations like that. It’s definitely a reminder not to take any day for granted. It’s a non-padded practice, and dudes are getting carted off. It’s a serious sport, and just pray for the best for him.”
The sixth-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 has played in 24 games and recorded 18 tackles and one sack in his pro career.
During the 2024 season, Jackson played two games for the Carolina Panthers but spent most of the year on practice squads in Carolina and Philadelphia.
He entered training camp seeking to earn a spot in the rotation and on San Francisco’s 53-man roster.
49ers defensive lineman Tarron Jackson was stretchered off the field and taken to Stanford Hospital during Sunday’s practice.
During the second-to-last period of practice, the veteran defensive lineman collapsed on the field after he was blocked on a third-team 11-on-11 play.
Trainers quickly surrounded him on the field for a few minutes before he was eventually loaded onto a stretcher and taken off the practice field on a cart. He would then be rushed to the hospital.
Everything looked terrible.
However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Jackson is conscious and has feeling in his extremities.
“There with Tarron Jackson there at the end, always scary when someone gets taken off on a stretcher,” Shanahan said.
“But just letting you guys know, he is conscious, inside communicating with us, can feel all his extremities, and they’re taking him down to Stanford now just for further testing. So hopefully, we cleared the real scary stuff, and hopefully we’ll get some good news on his neck.”
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