49ers Floated as 'Top' Landing Spot for 4-Time All-Pro Defender

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Falcons safety Justin Simmons.

The San Francisco 49ers could still use more safety help on their roster before starting NFL training camp next month, but are they willing to roll the dice on a four-time All-Pro who could come with a potentially expensive price tag?

CBS Sports analyst Cody Benjamin recently floated the Niners as one of five potential free-agent destinations for former Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons standout free safety Justin Simmons — who remains one of the NFL’s top unsigned free agents.

Simmons recorded 62 total tackles, seven pass deflections and two interceptions in 16 starts for the Falcons in 2024 after waiting until mid-August to sign with the team. He has also never finished a single one of his nine NFL seasons with fewer than two picks, underscoring his potential to improve the Niners’ deep-field coverage unit next season.

“If Simmons can’t reunite with Vic Fangio in Philadelphia, perhaps he’d settle for one of Fangio’s most accomplished disciples in Robert Saleh, who’s back as San Francisco’s coordinator after a tumultuous stint as New York Jets head coach,” Benjamin wrote.

“The 49ers spent much of the offseason shedding salary, including by letting Talanoa Hufanga sign elsewhere, but with projected starting safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha both nursing injuries, a one-year partnership could make sense.”

Justin Simmons Took Step Back With Falcons in 2024

Simmons might be one of the best safeties on the market, but he is not coming off the most sparkling of campaigns for the Falcons in 2024 despite his heavily featured role.

By no means was Simmons awful in coverage for the Falcons, but he played noticeably worse than he had during his decorated eight seasons with the Broncos, when he earned a reputation as one of the top safeties in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed 22 receptions on 37 targets in 2024, surrendering an opposing passer rating of 105.1 — which is markedly worse than either Mustapha or Brown yielded for the Niners.

Simmons’ poor tackling was more problematic than his coverage lapses, though.

After six consecutive seasons with a missed-tackle rate below 10%, Simmons missed an eye-popping 21.5% of his 79 tackle attempts (17 total) for the Falcons defense in 2024, raising concerns about his reliability as, oftentimes, the last man between the end zone.

The Niners could still evaluate Simmons as a potential fit for their defense, but his poor performance in 2024 does not pair well with his age — he turns 32 in November — and may force them to consider other available options, especially if he seeks similar money to the one-year, $8 million contract he signed with the Falcons in his latest outing.

Malik Mustapha Likely to Miss Start of 2025 Season

The Niners have two clear-cut starting safeties in Brown and Mustapha and might not be looking for additional safety help if not for the ACL injury that Mustapha — a 2024 fourth-round selection– sustained toward the end of his impressive rookie season.

As a rookie, Mustapha stepped firmly into the lineup as San Francisco’s starting strong safety and recorded 72 tackles, five pass deflections and one interception as a physically ferocious deep-field defender. Per PFF, he allowed just seven catches for an average of 7 yards per reception and surrendered an opposing passer rating of just 64.0 in coverage.

Unfortunately, Mustapha tore his ACL in the regular-season finale and is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2025 season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Now, Mustapha did recently post workout videos on social media that showed off his progress and seemed to be moving well, considering he is roughly 21 weeks out from the operation he underwent to repair the torn ligament in his knee. Even still, his potential lack of availability early in 2025 could force the 49ers to make another acquisition.

Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson