49ers’ Malik Mustapha recovering from torn ACL, unlikely to be ready for 2025 season opener

ESPN reports that San Francisco 49ers safety Malik Mustapha suffered a torn ACL during the team's season finale against the Arizona Cardinals on January 5. Mustapha exited the game in the second quarter due to a knee injury. The 49ers initially deemed his return questionable before ultimately ruling him out for the second half.

As a result of the injury, Mustapha is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2025 season.

The 49ers bolstered their defense in the 2025 NFL Draft, adding several players, including Kansas State safety Marques Sigle in the fifth round. The team also has safety Ji'Ayir Brown on the roster, but lost Talanoa Hufanga in free agency.

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"Mustapha's injury is actually related to the ACL tear he suffered in the same knee while playing at Wake Forest in January 2022," ESPN's Nick Wagoner wrote. "Mustapha returned from that injury in time to play 10 games during the following season.

"Although Mustapha departed the Arizona game with a knee injury and did not return, he was thought to be OK and in the locker room with the team the day after the game. Later that week, an MRI revealed that the graft that had been placed in the knee was torn. Mustapha had surgery to repair the knee after the issue was discovered."

According to a source, Mustapha has been rehabbing at the team facility and is "doing really well." However, ESPN's Wagoner notes that there is no definitive timeline for his return, given the timing of the injury.

Wagoner added, "Mustapha did, however, recover quickly from his previous ACL injury and there was no meniscus or cartilage damage in Arizona."

Mustapha (5-10, 206) is entering his second NFL season. The 49ers selected him in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Wake Forest.

In his rookie season, Mustapha registered 72 tackles (two for loss), five passes defensed, and one interception over 16 games (12 starts), playing 75% of the defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.