After months of anticipation, the San Francisco 49ers finally opened the 2025 NFL season against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Several 49ers were in dire need of a strong season-opening performance after disappointing fans last season, and that was especially true for kicker Jake Moody after going just 24-of-34 (70.6%) on field-goal attempts in 2024.
Moody spent the offseason working on his kicking mechanics, which included adopting a two-step approach before field goals instead of his usual three. Unfortunately, those changes didn't amount to much as San Francisco's kicker was the source of frustration in the first half when he missed a 27-yard FG attempt with a minute remaining in the first half.
A successful kick would've given the 49ers a three-point lead, but instead they trailed the Seahawks 10-7 after two quarters. Interestingly enough, it was during halftime when Moody drew the ire of one of the franchise's former players, who isn't a fan of what he's seen so far.
Ex-49ers CB Richard Sherman Calls for Jake Moody's Job Online
As the 49ers and Seahawks headed to the locker room, former San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman didn't hesitate to take aim at Moody on social media.
"Jake Moody... just don’t understand," Sherman posted on X. "Kickers aren’t hard to find and plenty of pretty good ones out there."
After Sherman's post, Moody went on to have a 36-yard field goal attempt blocked in the third quarter.
Sherman isn't one to keep his opinion quiet, so it isn't shocking to see him posting about Moody's early-season struggles. The five-time Pro Bowl CB certainly knows what a reliable kicker looks like after spending his first six seasons in the NFL playing alongside former Seahawks great Stephen Hauschka, who was 175-of-197 (88.8%) during that stretch.
It'll be interesting to see if the 49ers bring in another kicker to replace Moody if their confidence in him continues to wane. Some free-agent kickers are still looking for work, including Michael Badgley, Eddy Pineiro, and Cade York. Greg Joseph, who competed with Moody in training camp, is also still available after the 49ers cut him in early August.
The 49ers can't have a successful season without a strong special teams unit, which is why Moody must figure things out sooner rather than later. If not, head coach Kyle Shanahan & Co. will have to decide if blindly putting their faith in the former 2023 third-round pick makes sense in the long run.