The San Francisco 49ers have been one of the most active teams of the NFL offseason.
Due to their financial crunch, they had to part ways with several key contributors and rebuild parts of the team. Understandably, the departures of the likes of Charvarius Ward, Deebo Samuel, and Aaron Banks, and extensions for Brock Purdy, Fred Warner, and George Kittle took the lion's share of attention. Among all the action, there were a few newcomers who went under the radar.
One of those players is safety Jason Pinnock. The former Giants starter signed a fully guaranteed one-year, $2.20 million deal with San Francisco in the offseason, and a big opportunity with his new team could be on the horizon.
49ers S Jason Pinnock Expected to Be Week 1 Starter
According to The Athletic's 49ers insider Matt Barrows, Pinnock is expected to start against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.
"Pinnock, of course, also knows Saleh’s and Boyer’s systems, making him a quick study this spring. Because of that, he’s a frontrunner to start — perhaps next to Brown — in Week 1."Matt Barrows, The Athletic
This news comes on the heels of reports of Malik Mustapha missing the beginning of the 2025 season after reaggravating his ACL injury. Ji'Ayir Brown is also dealing with an ankle injury in the offseason, raising questions about the 49ers' secondary.
Barrows' reporting on Pinnock, however, should help alleviate some of those concerns.
Calling Pinnock the "most physically impressive safety the 49ers have had in a while", Barrows believes that the 25-year-old defender's familiarity with defensive coordinator Robert Saleh from his Jets days will go a long way. In the same article, Barrows also identified Pinnock as an under-the-radar player worth keeping an eye on.
While Mustapha will miss some time early in the season, Brown is expected to be ready for San Francisco's season opener against the Seahawks in September. He should be lining up at strong safety next to Pinnock, and the 49ers will hope that the three-headed monster of young, talented safeties between Mustapha, Pinnock, and Brown will be enough to bring them back to elite defensive levels.