The San Francisco 49ers are on track to have two starting jobs up for grabs in their secondary next season.

Starting safety Talanoa Hufanga on Monday agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $45 million with the Denver Broncos according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. Reports of Hufanga’s conversations with the Broncos surfaced early in the legal negotiating window which opened Monday at 9:00am Pacific Time.

The writing was on the wall for Hufanga’s potential exit when the 49ers spent Day 2 and early Day 3 picks on safeties in each of the last two NFL drafts. However, the door for his potential return cracked open when he was hit by injuries in each of his last two seasons. There was some hope from the 49ers that Hufanga’s market would be low enough that they might be able to bring him back. However an ACL tear in 2023, plus ankle and wrist injuries in 2024 didn’t deter the Broncos from giving him a sizable deal.

As soon as there was a market for Hufanga, the 49ers were likely out as they aim to recalibrate how they’re spending money. Dropping a three-year deal worth $15 million annually for a safety who they’ve already put themselves in position to replace wouldn’t have been great business.

Ji’Ayir Brown appears to be in line to start alongside Malik Mustapha next season. There will likely be some competition for that starting spot after Brown struggled in 13 starts in 2024.

Hufanga’s career with the 49ers is on track to come to an end after four seasons. The 2021 fifth-round pick earned an All-Pro nod in 2022 when he hauled in a career-high four interceptions. Across his four seasons he played in 49 games with 37 starts and posted 219 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, 14 pass breakups and seven interceptions. Hufanga can officially sign Wednesday at 1:00pm Pacific Time when the 2025 league year opens.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Talanoa Hufanga agreed to a 3-year free agent deal with the Broncos