Last month, at the NFL Owners Meetings, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that the team would bring in veteran competition for kicker Jake Moody.
It wasn’t a shock to hear that from the 49ers head coach, given Moody’s struggles last season, which played a part in San Francisco’s poor play. But Shanahan and the 49ers stuck to their word, as Moody is officially fighting for his job with OTAs on the horizon.
49ers Sign Greg Joseph to Compete With Jake Moody at OTAs
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers have signed veteran kicker Greg Joseph to a one-year deal.
The 30-year-old Joseph spent the 2024 season with three different teams (New York Giants, New York Jets, and Washington Commanders) after failing to win the Green Bay Packers’ kicker competition last summer.
Between those three teams last year, Joseph made 80 percent of his field goals (16-of-20) and 100 percent of his extra points (11-of-11) across eight games. The veteran kicker has converted 82.3 percent of his field goals and 90.8 percent of his extra points in his six-year career.
Before his world tour in 2024, Joseph spent the previous three years as the Minnesota Vikings’ starting kicker.
With the Vikings, the veteran made 82.2 percent of his field goals and 90.3 percent of his extra points in 51 games. In his second year with the Vikings (2022), Joseph struggled making kicks from 50-plus yards (4-of-10), which was a far cry from his first year in 2021 (7-of-9).
The veteran was slightly better from 50-plus yards in his last year with the Vikings (4-of-7), but he took a step back making kicks between 40-49 yards (3-of-6). ‘
The 49ers hope Joseph has ironed out those issues, as Moody was a non-factor on field goals from 40-plus yards out last season. The former third-round pick made 10-of-20 kicks from that range, which won’t cut it this upcoming season.
That said, we have a kicking competition on our hands. The 49ers’ brass will be diligently watching to see if Moody steps up to the plate after a disastrous 2024 season.