49ers Unlikely To Retain S Ji’Ayir Brown Beyond 2026?

Matt Barrows of The Athletic writes it is “hard to see” the 49ers keeping Brown beyond 2026. The former third-rounder made his 32nd career start in Week 1, handling a snap share of 90%. Brown also logged over 800 defensive plays during the 2024 and ’25 seasons, an indication of his importance to the team’s secondary.

Uncertainty over the future is not new in this case, though. Brown saw time as a ‘big nickel’ at times early last season, something which brought with it a drop in playing time. That temporary setup led the 26-year-old to say he would be open to a trade even though his preference was to remain with the 49ers. No swap took place, leaving Brown to continue as a defensive regular.

As Barrows notes, the 49ers do not have a track record of making big-money commitments at the safety spot (despite the fact general manager John Lynch was himself a Hall of Famer player at that position). Even if Brown remains a full-time starter in 2026, therefore, a departure on the open market in March would come as little surprise. The Penn State product totaled 188 tackles, five interceptions and 16 pass deflections across his first three NFL seasons. Brown’s work in coverage to date has left plenty of room for improvement, though.

San Francisco’s safety depth chart also includes Marques Sigle, Malik Mustapha, Ashtyn Davis and Darrick Forrest. That group is inexpensive to say the least, with Davis’ one-year, $1.75MM free agent pact leading the way in terms of average annual value. Provided Brown remains healthy in 2026, a productive outing would set him up for a considerable raise next year.

Unless the 49ers commit to a notable increase in spending at the safety spot, Brown’s next deal coming from a new team would certainly be reasonable. In the meantime, it will be interesting how his workload is handled as the current season unfolds.