The 49ers may be headed into the trade deadline as buyers, but Malik Mustapha could still be one of the more interesting names on their roster.
For San Francisco, the safety presents a tricky call. He has starter experience, he is young, and he is still on a rookie contract.
That combination could make him appealing to other teams if the 49ers decide to listen. At the same time, the Niners are already dealing with too many injuries and not enough depth, which makes moving a player with starting-caliber ability a risky proposition.
Mustapha entered the league as a fourth-round pick, going 125th overall, and quickly carved out a role. He started in Week 4 of his rookie year and never really let go of the job, opening 12 games while piling up 72 tackles. By the end of his first two seasons, he had 22 starts under his belt.
Then came the setback. Mustapha tore his ACL in Week 18 of his rookie season and missed the first six weeks of the 2025 campaign while recovering. Once he got healthy, the 49ers even benched rookie Marques Sigle to put Mustapha back into a full-time role.
But that changed again under new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris, who has not shown the same urgency to get Mustapha on the field. Mustapha also missed time in training camp, and that opened the door for Sigle to start in Week 1.
Sigle is dealing with an ankle injury and is expected back in a few weeks, which could leave Mustapha with a short window to show what he can bring as a starter. If he performs well, San Francisco could decide his value is higher in a trade than in its current rotation.
And there is real appeal for a team looking to add help. A club trading for Mustapha would be getting a young safety with two years of starting experience and roughly a year and a half of team control left on a cost-effective rookie deal. That sort of package can bring back more than people expect.
The 49ers could use him to fill a different need in a trade, or they could simply chase draft capital. With a top-heavy roster and several aging stars, adding extra picks would not be a bad outcome.
How San Francisco handles Mustapha will be worth watching.
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