The Jake Moody experience has been a rollercoaster ride for San Francisco 49ers fans over the last two years. The 25-year-old kicker was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft to be the presumptive starter.
Before Moody came into the picture, the 49ers leaned on veteran Robbie Gould, who spent the last six years of his career in the Bay Area. Moody was solid in his rookie season with the 49ers, making 21-of-25 (84%) field goals and an NFL-leading 60-of-61 (98.4%) extra points.
However, things unraveled for the young kicker last season. The former University of Michigan kicker only made 24-of-34 (70.6%) field goals. Moody struggled noticeably from 40-plus yards out, hitting 6-of-11 field goals, a noticeable difference from his rookie season (4-of-6).
As for field goals 50-plus yards away, Moody made 4-of-9 last season. Based on his struggles, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters at the NFL Owners Meetings that the team would be looking to bring in veteran competition for Moody.
Luckily for Shanahan and Co., they don’t have to look far for a veteran option. On Thursday, the Indianapolis Colts announced they released veteran kicker Matt Gay.
We have released K Matt Gay.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) April 10, 2025
The 31-year-old Gay spent the last two years with the Colts after beginning his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams. Last season with the Colts, the veteran kicker made 31-of-37 field goals (83.8%) and was a perfect 33-of-33 on extra points (100%). He also had an 82.9 touchback percentage.
The veteran was perfect from 20-49 yards last year (28-of-28), but just like Moody, he struggled with kicks from 50-plus yards (3-of-9). Additionally, for his career, Gay is 62.2% on field goals from that distance.
However, on kicks from 40-49 yards away, the veteran kicker has made 85.7 percent of his field goals. If you are Shanahan and GM John Lynch, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring in Gay to see if he can push Moody.
The 49ers would hope that the former third-round pick wins the job, but we’ve seen different things happen in the NFL when it involves competing for a starting spot.