On September 9, the San Francisco 49ers decided to cut ties with kicker Jake Moody, who was a third-round draft pick in 2023. Moreover, the organization decided to sign Eddy Piñeiro to replace Moody.
The 25-year-old converted just 1 of 3 attempts in the 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks on September 7 at Lumen Field. Despite winning the starting job, Moody continued to struggle, resulting in the team deciding to end his tenure in the Bay Area.
Nonetheless, 49ers reporter for Bay Area News Group, Cam Inman, is calling out San Francisco for not cutting ties with Moody before the season even started.
“The switch didn’t come abruptly,” Inman said during an appearance on 95.7 The Game. “It came way too late. I was very stunned that Jake Moody won the job, basically a week or two in the camp.
“They made so many changes on their special teams, and yet this albatross was still hanging. Everybody knew that there was this dark cloud over Moody, and any time he missed a kick, it was too big of a distraction. And it all came to a head Sunday in Seattle.”
49ers Reporter Confused Over Keeping Jake Moody
Inman also stated that over the offseason, San Francisco wanted a clean slate with their special teams. As a result, the 49ers brought in a new unit, but the reporter questioned why the team was starting fresh while keeping Moody on board.
“So they revamped the whole special team,” Inman added. “You bring in a new coordinator, a new long snapper, and a new punter. But you kept Jake Moody, and it made the fan base irate.
“Then Jake didn’t do much in the preseason to ease those concerns, other than beat the Raiders with a 59-yard beauty at the end. But the next week in the preseason, he missed an extra point and kicked a kickoff out of bounds. This wasn’t abrupt—they should have done this a while ago.”
Eddy Piñeiro Talks About Taking Over the Kicking Job
After parting ways with Moody, the 49ers signed Piñeiro, who spoke with reporters on September 10, noting the entire ordeal that led to him heading to the Bay Area.
“It’s been a crazy week,” Piñeiro said (h/t KNBR). “I was supposed to leave to Atlanta [on September 9] until I got the call to come over here and took the opportunity and didn’t look back. Super happy.”
Furthermore, the kicker stated that he was supposed to visit the Atlanta Falcons. Nonetheless, when the 49ers called, he didn’t think twice about heading to San Francisco rather than Atlanta and revealed why.
“I want to win games,” Piñeiro added. “I want to be a part of a good culture. I’m in my eighth year of my career and I want to win.”
The 29-year-old has kicked for the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers. Piñeiro’s best season in the NFL came in 2022 when he made 93.8 percent of his field goals, per Pro Football Reference.
In 2021, Piñeiro made 100 percent of his field goals, though he did so in just five games compared to his time with the Bears and Panthers. Piñeiro made 33 of 35 field goals in 2022, where he was 13 of 14 from 40-plus yards and 2 of 2 from 50-plus yards.
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