The San Francisco 49ers' special teams officially started a new chapter when kicker Jake Moody was waived following a pitiful Week 1 performance. The NFL season moves quickly, though, and it didn't take the 49ers long to find Moody's replacement, signing veteran leg Eddy Pineiro to a one-year contract on Wednesday, according to CBS News' Carlos E. Castaneda.
Pineiro is an experienced kicker with 70 regular-season games under his belt, and 49ers fans are just hoping that experience will mean he's more reliable than Moody when it counts. The bar is low after what happened last week, but that didn't stop Pineiro from acknowledging that he can't make mistakes if he wants to avoid the same fate as Moody.
"I know that if I don't make kicks, I'll be out of here," Pineiro said with a laugh after Wednesday's practice, per CBS Sports' Matt Lively.
Eddy Pineiro Is Aiming to Avoid Similar 49ers Fate as Jake Moody
Although no player ever wants to lose their job, Pineiro's comments were about as clear a shot at Moody as they can get.
The 49ers' patience was already thin with Pineiro after a mistake-filled 2024 season, and his Week 1 struggles made a divorce easier than ever. His misses against the Seattle Seahawks came at crucial moments that would've made the Niners' win that much more decisive, and now he's left unemployed while Pineiro attempts to do a better job.
The former Florida Gator has spent his career kicking in games for the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers. His field-goal success rate has dwindled with each passing season; however, his 84.6% success rate (22-of-26) last season was much better than Moody's performance (24-of-24, 70.6%), making it easy for 49ers fans to cheer on their new kicker.
A strong performance in Week 2 from Pineiro would help 49ers fans finally forget about Moody and his unreliable leg. Fortunately, the upcoming showdown with the New Orleans Saints is the perfect opportunity for the 29-year-old special teamer, considering how they allowed the 10th-most field goal points last season.
Assuming that San Francisco can still move down the field without quarterback Brock Purdy's help, Pineiro should have plenty of chances to put some balls through the uprights. And if he's successful, one can assume 49ers fans won't be as moody about special teams as they have been.