Robert Saleh has familiarity with Jason Pinnock, while rookie Marques Sigle can make an impact on special teams
The San Francisco 49ers have been linked to free-agent safeties by some national analysts.
Malik Mustapha’s injury leaves Ji’Ayir Brown as the lone starter, and he was in and out of the lineup in 2024 and missed some of the offseason program with an injury. That leaves unknowns, like Richie Grant and Jason Pinnock, to start. It’s unlikely the Niners go back to George Odum on defense. It’d be surprising to see rookie Marques Sigle win a job out of the gates over a veteran.
NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco spoke about the current construction of the 49ers’ safety position and why it’s unlikely a player like Simmons is brought in on his YouTube channel:
“It’s probably the one spot where people could look at and go, ‘Might the 49ers seek some help on the veteran market?’ You know, somebody like Justin Simmons. And I don’t necessarily think that’s going to be the case. Simmons remains a free agent. Certainly, he’s been out there for quite some time. If the 49ers wanted him, they could certainly go get him. I would think, though, that they would wait until training camp.
And I would think that Justin Simmons would wait until training camp at this point to kind of see where he has his best fit, potentially with a team that’s a contender that would need a safety. And I think the 49ers are more than likely right now comfortable with their safety position just because of how they expected the health situation of their team to shake out.”
Names like Marcus Williams, Justin Simmons, Jordan White, and Julian Blackmon are all available. The 49ers have brought in some veterans during previous offseasons, while Whitehead and Pinnock have played under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. That’s the free agent pool the Niners would pick from if they feel their current cast of safeties isn’t cutting it a week or two into training camp.
As Maiocco points out, Mustapha and Brown’s health situation should resolve itself. So, bringing in a veteran when they’d only play for a few weeks might not make the most sense financially.
Still, it’ll be interesting to see what type of player starts alongside Brown. Maiocco believes it’ll be Pinnock:
Another, the other guy that I think is going to be a starter when the season begins is Jason Pinnock. The 49ers feel like they got him at a really god price, a one-year deal, $2.2 million. Now, Pinnock is somebody that entered the NFL as a draft pick of Robert Saleh and the New York Jets. He played for the Jets his rookie season, and then in August of year two, he gets released (waived, I should say). Robert Saleh told him, ‘If you clear waivers, we would love you back on the practice squad.’ He did not clear waivers. The New York Giants claimed him. And over the past two seasons, he started 32 games for the Giants.
Pinnock was used closer to the line of scrimmage with the Giants and rushed the passer more than a typical safety. But during minicamp, Pinnock was playing more of the traditional free safety role. That’s where Brown would play, which tells me the 49ers are preparing as if Pinnock, not Brown, is the long-term free safety in 2025. Maiocco believes the same.
“Now, I talked to him last week, and he’s really excited about this opportunity. He says when he signed with the 49ers, he didn’t even know about Mustapha’s injury. But the door is wide open, and the expectation is that he will be a starter. He says he sees himself as a starter with still a lot of upside. He’s got it all. When you look at his size, the speed, the football intelligence, everything else, the passion for the game.
I think the 49ers may have got themselves a pretty good player in free agency, somebody that did not have, you know, the opportunity to sign a big-time contract with another team, a multi-year deal. But when I asked him about where he can take his game in year five in the NFL, what he pointed to specifically are the takeaways, the big plays. It’s the interceptions, it’s the forced fumbles, it’s the fumble recoveries. And so over those two seasons as the full-time Giants starter at safety, only two interceptions and two forced fumbles. However, he did have 85 tackles per season. and five sacks over that time. So he can make plays.
Like I said, he’s got the size, the speed, everything to go ahead. And he’s a converted cornerback, too. So he’s a guy who could make a really big impact, and I think a very much under-the-radar signing for the 49ers. So keep an eye on Jason Pinnock. I expect him to be a starter week one, and the door’s wide open for him to be a starter throughout the season, even when Mustapha returns.”
Maiocco mentioned Richie Grant as a player to keep an eye on. He’s started 32 games for the Atlanta Falcons during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but he was relegated to special teams duty last year in Atlanta.
Injuries may impact the number of safeties the 49ers keep, but it’s typically around four. You’d think Sigle, if healthy, will fill in on special teams. That leaves Brown, Pinnock, and Grant. Again, this is under the expectation that Malik starts on the PUP list, so that might mean the team keeps an extra safety on the roster to start the year.