Denver Broncos' safety Talanoa Hufanga returned to San Francisco this week and opened up on why the Bay Area meant so much to him, and why move to Denver was difficult.
Broncos’ Talanoa Hufanga Reflects on 49ers Time Before Bay Area Return originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Denver Broncos signed free agent safety Talanoa Hufanga this offseason to bolster their secondary. Hufanga came to Denver after spending the first four years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers.
Denver's new safety had quite the start of his career with the 49ers, where he earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in his second season and All-Pro honors. In his first two years in San Francisco, Hufanga went to the playoffs and played in the Super Bowl in his 2022 All-Pro season.
During his four years with the 49ers, Hufanga collected 219 tackles, 14 passes defended, nine tackles for loss and seven interceptions. The All-Pro safety also forced two fumbles, had six quarterback hits and a couple of sacks.
#49ers Nick Bosa back at practice and shows love to Talanoa Hufanga 🤝 pic.twitter.com/sTr060g3Yf
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) August 7, 2025
With a lot of changes in San Francisco last year and into the offseason, Hufanga tested the free agency market and landed in Denver with a defense that ranked near the top of the league in 2024. Although Hufanga is excited for his about journey with the Broncos, he's chehe cherishes the time spentBay Area.
The Broncos traveled to San Francisco this week for a joint practice on Thursday and will face off in each team's preseason opener on Saturday night. Following practice on Thursday, Hufanga spoke with reporters and opened up on how much the Bay Area meant to him.
"It was very difficult," Hufanga told reporters of leaving San Francisco. "I did a lot of growing here as a young kid coming in. I graduated early from college and came right in here, tried to grow as a man. This is where I got married. This is where I had my first kid. So a lot of growth was here. A lot of great memories. A lot of great experiences.
"We been to three NFC championships, one Super Bowl. Those are memories that you'll take forever. So for me, to be back here, it's special, but I'm exactly where supposed to be."
The Broncos and 49ers won't play in the regular season, so it was a special moment for Hufanga to get to return to his old city in the 2025 preseason. Broncos' head coach Sean Payton said earlier this week that if his players are healthy, they should expect to play on Saturday. So, even as a starter, Hufanga should get to play, at least for a little bit, on Saturday night against his old team in the Broncs' first preseason game.
Then once the regular season begins, Hufanga will add to an already stellar Broncos' secondary. He'll play beside Brandon Jones in the back-half of the secondary, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain III in the front-half
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
