Jake Moody began his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers on a promising note, earning the honor of being selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He flashed promise during his rookie campaign and gave the team and fan base hope that he could blossom into one of the top kickers in the league. The 2021 Consensus All-American did not fulfill his potential, however. Stunning inaccuracy and a heated exchange with Deebo Samuel last year seemed to doom his stay in The Bay.

The Niners gave Moody another chance, though, retaining him as their kicker into the 2025-26 campaign. They finally ran out of patience last Sunday, cutting ties with him and essentially admitting their big draft-day blunder. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and company could no longer afford to wait until the two-time Big-Ten Kicker of the Year (with Michigan) got his mojo back.

“It got to the point where I didn’t even feel like there was much of a choice,” Shanahan told Matt Maiocco of “49ers Talk,” via the Coach Yac X account. “Once a guy loses his confidence for whatever reason it is. The stands have lost their confidence, the team ends up thinking it’s going to be a miss and not a make and you start to see him like that. You really don’t have a choice. You gotta make a move because you can’t just bench him and let him get out of it. There is no backup.”

49ers, Jake Moody look toward new beginnings

Shanahan perfectly sums up the volatility of the position. When a kicker endures such a pronounced slump, it is hard to resist taking action. Many will argue that the organization should have made a change earlier. Moody converted only 24 of his 34 field goal attempts last season and missed a 27-yarder near the end of the first half in the team’s 17-13 season-opening victory over the Seattle Seahawks. A split was obviously needed.

Kyle Shanahan expressed confidence in Moody’s talent and believes he will find success with another squad. The 49ers are moving forward with Eddy Pineiro, who has posted the fourth-highest field goal percentage in NFL history through 70 career games (88.1 percent). It is a bit surprising that he was available for the Niners to scoop up after Week 1.

Since quarterback Brock Purdy is currently sidelined with turf toe and All-Pro tight end George Kittle is on the injured reserve, San Francisco will have little room for error. It must score points when the opportunity presents itself, and unfortunately, that was not something the team could trust Jake Moody to consistently do at this time.

The 25-year-old is now on the Chicago Bears’ practice squad, where he will look to recapture his form and establish himself as a viable NFL kicker once again.