Kyle Shanahan Has a Blunt Response to Why 49ers Decided to Let Jake Moody Go

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan claimed that they had given Jake Moody enough chances but he failed to limit his field goal misses.

Kyle Shanahan Has a Blunt Response to Why 49ers Decided to Let Jake Moody Go

Jake Moody and Kyle Shanahan (Image via IMAGO)

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Jake Moody’s two struggling years at the San Francisco 49ers ended this week. Moody was released by the 49ers.

At first glance, it would seem the Niners cut Moody under fierce fan demand. The fans may have played a minor role, but the reality is much more practical.

During the week one fixture against the Seattle Seahawks, Moody missed a 27-yard field goal in the first quarter, and a 36-yarder was blocked in the second quarter.

He buried one from 32 yards nine minutes from the end, but the damage was done. The costly misses allowed the Seahawks to stay on the tail of the Niners.

If quarterback Brock Purdy hadn’t thrown a touchdown in garbage time, then the Niners would have begun the season with a defeat. It only took the 49ers two days to cut Jake Moody from the team, and head coach Kyle Shanahan claimed they had no other choice.

It got to the point where I didn’t even feel like there was much of a choice. 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. 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.

Kyle Shanahan told Matt Maiocco of “49ers Talk,” via the Coach Yac X account

The 49ers used a third-round pick on Moody in 2023. He had a solid start to his NFL career, leading the 60 extra point conversions from 61 attempts, while completing 84.0% of his field goal tries.

Instead of improving on his rookie season, Mood took a nosedive in 2024. He completed only 24 of his 34 field goal attempts (70.6%). Despite the deep form, Shanahan believes the Michigan alumnus has a bright future.

Jake’s got a chance to have a hell of a future; he’s that talented, but when it gets to that spot—where it is, we know how last year ended, we know how everyone was looking at him, and obviously, when it gets to that point, you can see it affecting him from a mental game. Then you don’t have much choice. You’ve got to move on.

Shanahan said (ht/NBC Sports)

The Niners replaced Moody with former Carolina Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro. After being released from the Panthers, Pineiro explored options in free agency when the Niners came calling. Pineiro is considered the fourth most accurate kicker (88.1% FG completion) in NFL history behind Justin Tucker, Harrison Butker, and Chris Boswell.

 Jake Moody finds a new NFL team

It didn’t take Moody long to secure a place on another NFL team. He stayed in the NFC to sign with the Chicago Bears.

Kyle Shanahan Has a Blunt Response to Why 49ers Decided to Let Jake Moody Go
#4 Jake Moody (Image via IMAGO)

The Bears added Moody to the practice squad. He is number two behind 12th-year veteran Cairo Santos.

Santos has played over 150 games in that span, averaging a field goal completion percentage of 85.5. After suffering a 27-24 loss at the hands of JJ McCarthy’s Minnesota Vikings, the Bears are preparing to play divisional rivals, the Detroit Lions. The Niners, on the other hand, travel to Louisiana to face the New Orleans Saints.

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