Another year, another Jake Moody debacle during the offseason. Despite Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers seemingly committing to their former third-round pick ahead of the 2025 preseason, fans have found yet another reason to criticize the kicker's standing with the team.
Fans have been split on Moody throughout his two-year career, but the kicker seemingly won them over with a game-winning 59-yard field goal in the 49ers' second preseason game. However, in traditional Moody fashion, he showed fans his worst side during the team's ensuing outing by missing an extra point and sending a kickoff out of bounds.
Moody got back on the fans' bad side with the performance, causing campaigns for his release to resurface. Some even took note of Shanahan's perceived reaction to Moody's kickoff blunder, including Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Kyle Shanahan after Jake Moody booted a kickoff out of bounds Saturday,” Branch tweeted. “Worth noting: He wasn't looking in Moody's direction, and he was enduring the second half of a third preseason game, but…”
Kyle Shanahan after Jake Moody booted a kickoff out of bounds Saturday. Worth noting: He wasn't looking in Moody's direction and he was enduring the second half of a third preseason game, but … pic.twitter.com/z52COjRMvN
— Eric Branch (@Eric_Branch) August 25, 2025
Shanahan appeared to look worried and concerned in the picture Branch tweeted. Although not looking directly at Moody, his facial expression changed immediately after the ball sailed off the field.
Needless to say, sending a kickoff out of bounds is an unacceptable error in the NFL. The mistake is frowned upon in high school and simply inexcusable at the professional level. Such errors are typically only seen on onside kick attempts.
Will Jake Moody return as 49ers' kicker in 2025?
The 49ers wrapped up the 2025 preseason with a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Moody was the team's lone kicker after releasing veteran Greg Joseph during training camp, but fans are still wondering if he will remain on the roster by Week 1.
San Francisco made the rare decision to use a day two draft pick on him in 2023, but the gamble has not yet paid off. After hitting 84 percent of his field goals as a rookie, Moody's accuracy plummeted in 2024. The Michigan alum hit just 70.6 percent of his kicks in year two, making him one of the worst kickers in the league.
Moody's struggles have led to comparisons to Roberto Aguayo, whom the Tampa Bay Buccaneers surprisingly selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Despite being the highest-drafted kicker in the modern era, Aguayo infamously lasted just one season in the league.
Moody has already surpassed Aguayo, but his career is seemingly clinging on by a thread. His hot-and-cold track record has kept him on the 49ers' roster thus far, but it is highly unsustainable. Moody's career appears to hang in the balance each time he walks out for a kick attempt.
