Jaquan Brisker
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Jaquan Brisker is set to hit free agency.
Heading into the new league year, the San Francisco 49ers have a few question marks regarding the back end of their defense, especially at safety.
The Niners have a few solid young pieces in Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha, but considering how strong the upcoming free agent market will be at the position, it might behoove San Francisco to add another young DB to the group. Mike Masala of Niners Wire thinks the 49ers should let Jason Pinnock walk and replace him with a better option.
“San Francisco should be looking to upgrade,” Masala wrote on February 6. “If the 49ers are willing to spend money on the position in free agency, Jaquan Brisker, Kamren Curl, Kyle Dugger and Kevin Byard could step in and be starters in 2026.”
Of that group, Brisker is arguably the most intriguing option. Let’s discuss.
Brisker Is Coming Off Solid 2025 Season With the Chicago Bears
Bears
Safety Jaquan Brisker is set to hit free agency in 2026. Should the San Francisco 49ers sign him?
Brisker is set to hit the market after finishing up his four-year rookie deal with Chicago. The Bears have said they’d like to retain Byard specifically, but didn’t mention Brisker, which likely means his days are done in the Windy City. He seems to sense it, too.
“It could’ve been my last time in a Bears uniform and I wanted to soak that in,” Brisker said after the Bears’ playoff loss to the Rams, via CHGO Sports. “I’m really the last person to leave the locker room, never really the last person to have my equipment on, but I was just soaking that time in. Embracing the locker room, embracing everything, I don’t know what it’ll be in the future for me.”
Brisker is young (he turns 27 in April) and he’s solid against both the run and the pass. His injury history is the primary issue where he’s concerned. He has been diagnosed with three separate concussions, suffering one in each of his first three years. In total, he missed 16 games across those first three years.
But he finished his 2025 campaign playing all 17 games for the first time, and he finished with 93 tackles, a sack, eight passes defended, three QB hits and an interception. He also stepped up big time in the postseason. In Chicago’s two playoff games, Brisker had 23 total tackles, a sack, also breaking up two passes.
Should San Francisco 49ers Try to Sign Bears Safety Jaquan Brisker When 2026 Free Agency Opens?
The Niners could do a lot worse than Brisker. Brown and Mustapha have both youth and speed on their side, but neither has been as impactful as Brisker has been, even with his concussion history.
Brisker is also the type of defensive back new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris likes. He plays with a similar kind of urgency linebackers do, but he possesses a DB’s awareness, and he flies to the ball no matter what the assignment.
A second-round pick for Chicago in 2022, Brisker is entering the prime of his career, and Spotrac has him netting just over $11 million per year when he inks his next deal. The Niners have around $43 million in cap space to work with, and they do have other needs like receiver and edge rusher.
But adding another safety in free agency is certainly a possibility, and if GM John Lynch and company decide to go that route, Brisker’s name could be at the top of their wish list.