Entering 2024, all signs pointed to the San Francisco 49ers having a stud in safety Ji'Ayir Brown, their top pick from the 2023 NFL Draft out of Penn State.
At the end of 2024, all signs pointed to Brown being a massive liability.
Brown went from an upstart who started in the Super Bowl that February of 2024 against the Kansas City Chiefs to being benched in the latter portion of the following season despite the fact the Niners were dealing with all kinds of defensive injuries at his position. When San Francisco subsequently drafted Marques Sigle on day three of the 2025 draft, it appeared as if Brown's immediate future was in serious jeopoardy.
Now, even in light of second-year safety Malik Mustapha working to come back from a late ACL tear suffered last season, Brown's role on defense has a wide landing spot.
So, it's no surprise that was a topic of conversation when the third-year defensive back spoke to reporters from training camp.
Ji'Ayir Brown opens up on 2024 struggles, outlook for 2025
Brown told reporters his 2024 challenges weren't mental, sharing some specific detail about both injuries and other factors.
You can check out this portion of the video, shared by @CoachYac on X:
Ji'Ayir Brown on having a down season last year:
— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) July 31, 2025
“My mindset was where it should have been. I think it was other factors that played in and it wasn’t allowing me to play to my fullest potential that I know I can play at. My standards are pretty high and I fell short of that.” pic.twitter.com/cc2DQds3Mj
"My mindset was where it should have been," Brown said. "I think it was other factors that played in, and it wasn’t allowing me to play to my fullest potential that I know I can play at. My standards are pretty high and I fell short of that."
Brown also admitted he was dealing with a shoulder injury suffered after hitting Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in the Super Bowl, and that injury lingered into 2024.
Tack on offseason ankle surgery, and it's fair to say Brown wasn't playing at 100 percent for much of last season.
Yet there are other wrinkles that may lead to the former Nittany Lion bouncing back, including the onboarding of defensive coaches, Robert Saleh and Gus Bradley, the latter to whom Brown referred as "one of the better philosophers I’ve been around."
Saleh and Bradley could be the elixir that help improve Brown's play over 2024's unsuccessful coaching tandem of no-longer-with-San Francisco assistants, Nick Sorensen and Brandon Staley.
If anything, the pieces are coming together correctly for Brown, and that translates into a much better opportunity to rebound from an otherwise frustrating campaign a year ago.