The San Francisco 49ers and 2023 third-round draft pick, kicker Jake Moody, parted ways in September after an uninspiring showing in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks. Kyle Shanahan’s team swiftly filled Moody’s spot, signing Eddy Piñeiro to take over kicking duties.
Who is the new kicker? And why did the team cut a kicker they spent a draft pick on? Here’s more on Piñerio, why Moody was cut loose, and where he wound up.
Who is Eddy Piñeiro, and Why Was Jake Moody Released?
Moody missed two field goals in San Francisco’s 17-13 win over the Seahawks. Through his career with the 49ers, including that game, he converted 46 of 62 field goals (74.2%) and is 6-of-12 (50%) from 50 yards or more.
Moody joined fellow drafted kickers Roberto Aguayo (No. 59 overall, 2016) and Cade York (No. 124, 2022) as those to be set free by their teams after unsuccessful stints.
“It got to the point where I didn’t even feel like there was much of a choice,” Shanahan said. “Once a guy loses his confidence for whatever reason, it is. The stands have lost their confidence — the team ends up thinking it’s going to be a miss and not a make, and you start to see him like that.
He continued, “You really don’t have a choice. You gotta make a move because you can’t just bench him and let him get out of it. There is no backup.”
Enter Piñeiro, who has played for three other teams and ranks as the third-most accurate field goal kicker in NFL history, according to ESPN. He began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders in 2018 following a standout college career at Florida.
Since then, he’s played in 70 games with the Chicago Bears (2019), New York Jets (2021), and Carolina Panthers (2022-24).
With the Panthers, Piñeiro made 111 of 126 field goal attempts (88.1%) and 116 of 125 extra point tries (92.8%). He is also 11-of-14 (78.5%) from 50 yards or more. Additionally, he spent time on the Washington Commanders’ practice squad in 2021.
Piñeiro, a native of Miami, Fla., played two seasons for the Florida Gators. He made 29 of his final 30 field goal attempts at Florida, finishing with a program-record 88.4% success rate.
So far in five games with the 49ers, Piñeiro has converted all 15 of his field goal attempts, but has missed one extra point attempt. He has become a reliable kicker for San Francisco, while Moody has also had a great start to his tenure with the Chicago Bears.