Despite the 17-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed why the San Francisco 49ers had moved on from kicker Jake Moody after a performance that once again raised concerns.
“Jake's got a chance to have a hell of a future. He's that talented. But when it gets to that point, you can see it affecting him from a mental [standpoint]. So, you have no choice,” Shanahan said, according to David Lombardi X post.
The 49ers’ decision came after Moody pushed a 27-yard attempt off the upright and had a 36-yard kick blocked. While he did connect on a 32-yard field goal that tied the game late, Shanahan admitted the margin for error had disappeared.
“Wasn't that much of a decision,” Shanahan said when addressing the move to cut Moody via Matt Lively. His remarks reflected the growing pressure surrounding the kicker since the team invested a third-round pick in him during the 2023 NFL Draft.
Moody’s issues weren’t limited to Week 1. He had already faced criticism during the 2024 season, when he missed 11 kicks. The inconsistency left San Francisco with a glaring special teams concern heading into 2025. Despite Shanahan’s initial support after Sunday’s win, he conceded that the mistakes had been costly.
“We missed one which was a big miss, especially we were inside the 10… Then the next one [Julian] Love made a hell of a move. … We got to clean up that protection. That’s everyone there. That one wasn’t Jake; that’s just the whole operation. But yeah, we’ve got to do better,” Shanahan told reporters after the game.
By Tuesday, the team had already turned the page. The 49ers officially signed Eddy Pineiro to a one-year contract. The veteran kicker arrives with an 88.1 percent career field-goal rate and most recently played for the Carolina Panthers, where he converted 22 of 26 attempts in 2024. His addition provides immediate stability for a team that needed a quick answer before its Week 2 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
The 49ers’ decision to cut Moody highlights how swiftly San Francisco acted to address its concern at the position. Although the team managed to escape with a divisional victory to start the season, Shanahan made it clear that consistency on special teams could not be compromised. The move closes the book on Moody’s turbulent tenure and opens a new chapter with Pineiro stepping into one of the NFL’s most scrutinized jobs.
