San Francisco 49ers fans have a love-hate relationship with kicker Jake Moody. The 25-year-old kicker started his 49ers career on the right foot as a rookie in 2023.
Moody made 84 percent of his field goals (21-of-25) during the regular season, including 6-of-9 from 40-plus yards. He also made 98.4 percent of his extra points (60-of-61). However, he didn’t have the same success last season, making 70.6 percent of his field goals (24-of-34).
The former University of Michigan kicker also struggled noticeably from 40-plus yards, which did not make 49er fans happy (10-of-20 on field goals).
Based on his performance last season, San Fran head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters at the annual league meetings last week that the Niners plan to bring in a veteran kicker after the draft to compete with Moody.
Moody’s issues haven’t been the short kicks. It's the kicks from longer distances. If he can fix that issue, the 49ers’ special teams will be in a good position this upcoming season.
In a video posted on Twitter, the former third-round pick was seen kicking a 66-yard field goal with relative ease.
Jake Moody putting in that off-season work. Here is the #49ers K easily nailing a 66 yard Field Goal.
— 49ers & NFL News 24/7 (@49ersSportsTalk) April 8, 2025
🎥: @KornblueKicking #Niners #NFL pic.twitter.com/4bSNs8QD1a
As you can imagine, some 49ers fans were not impressed with Moody’s attempt from 60-plus yards, with it only being practice. The Niner faithful want to see him make a long-distance kick in a game setting.
Some fans went as far as to compare Moody’s practice field goal attempts to NBA player Ben Simmons making three-pointers in his offseason videos. If Moody wasn’t a third-round pick, fans might be frustrated by his performance, as he’s only been in the league for two years.
However, when you use a top-100 pick on a kicker in the NFL draft (Moody – 99th overall), the fanbase expects that guy to be one of the best in the league right away and not cost the team games. During his rookie season in the playoffs, Moody missed two field goals in the wild card and divisional round.
Despite those misses, the young kicker made 6-of-8 field goals in the postseason, including a perfect 3-of-3 in Super Bowl 58. 49ers fans hope that Moody’s practice can translate to live game action, as he’ll be competing for his job over the next several months.