The 49ers have a few players who will be eligible to sign extensions as soon as the regular season ends in a few weeks. But only one of them truly is worth the financial commitment.
Dee Winters, Darrell Luter Jr., Robert Beal and Ji’Ayir Brown all will be eligible for extensions starting in January. Luter and Beal are backups who probably won’t be on the team in a couple years.
Winters is the starting weakside linebacker — he inherited the job after the 49ers let Dre Greenlaw sign with the Denver Broncos. The 49ers were concerned about Greenlaw’s injury history, but he currently is healthy and the highest-graded player on the Broncos defense according to Pro Football Focus.
September 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dee Winters (53) during the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Meanwhile, WInters’ play has fallen off a cliff since Fred Warner dislocated and fractured his ankle in Week 6. It seems that Warner helped Winters be at the right place at the right time on the field. Without Warner’s guidance, Winters seems lost. And considering the 49ers drafted weakside linebacker Nick Martin in Round 3 this season, the 49ers have no reason to extend Winters. They have his replacement already on the roster.
The player the 49ers should extend is Ji’Ayir Brown. He’s a former third-round pick who played well as a rookie, intercepted Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl, struggled in his second season under his second defensive coordinator, Nick Sorensen, and now has revived his career under his third defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh.
Brown currently is the highest-graded player on the 49ers defense who has played at least 500 snaps. That’s because he can line up in the box, at free safety, in the slot, he can intercept passes, he’s good against the run and he can blitz. He’s extremely well-rounded. He’s similar to Talanoa Hufanga, who’s having a terrific season for the Broncos.
Oct 19, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown (27) before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The longer the 49ers wait to extend Brown, the more expensive he will become. This past offseason, Hufanga signed a three-year, $39 million deal with Denver. Granted, he’s a former All Pro. Still, he tore his ACL in 2023 and still got all that money in free agency.
If the 49ers extend Brown this offseason, they might save some money and get him for less than $10 million per season. And then they’d have a second quality veteran defensive back alongside Deommodore Lenoir.
If the 49ers don’t extend Brown, the alternative is to replace him eventually with Marques Sigle, who was dreadful this season, or to draft another safety.
Easier to keep Brown. They can afford him. No reason to complicate things.
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