The San Francisco 49ers have a soul-searching offseason ahead after falling short of the playoffs in 2024. While the team dealt with numerous injuries, it's obvious this roster wasn't ready to compete for another Super Bowl appearance.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch still have a sound foundation in place, but improvements are necessary at a few key positions in order to avoid another lost campaign.
One of the most disappointing players was kicker Jake Moody, who was one of the worst players at any position in the league this year. The 2023 third-round pick was excellent in his rookie campaign but his production fell off a cliff this season. In a business like this one, that means he must be cut.
49ers offseason needs: History suggests that it’s time for a new kicker https://t.co/AOYcAMxwyv
— Niners Nation (@NinersNation) February 7, 2025
49ers Must Say Goodbye to K Jake Moody
Moody ranked 39th in the league in field goal percentage (70.6%), making a disastrous 10 of his 20 kicks from 40 yards or longer. There are only 32 teams, illustrating just how bad things were for the 25-year-old.
He was particularly poor in the final six weeks of the season with San Francisco battling for a playoff spot, hitting only six of his 12 attempts to help shut the door on the 49ers' postseason hopes.
It's not an exaggeration to say that this team might've made the dance with nearly any other kicker. For the organization to have spent a top-100 draft pick on the position was unacceptable when it happened based on positional value. Now that we've seen the results, it's fair to call Moody one of the worst decisions this front office has made.
Perhaps Moody can refocus this offseason and fix his issues. That said, kickers are a dime a dozen. The Kansas City Chiefs found Harrison Butker on the Carolina Panthers' practice squad and he's now one of the most accomplished kickers in history. The position is too volatile and too loaded with fresh talent to stay loyal to someone who has failed so miserably.
The 49ers made a mistake in the draft. That's fine - teams do it all of the time. An unwillingness to drop a sunk cost is what compounds those mistakes though, and San Francisco needs to look to the future.
At the very least, they need to bring in competition in training camp. Should Moody shine and return to his rookie form, great! If he keeps missing kicks, move on and start developing the next starter. Unless the 49ers want to sit on their couches watching the playoffs again next year, they have to do something about Moody and their special teams issues.