SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers fired special teams coach Brian Schneider following a season when repeated blunders in the kicking game contributed to a losing season, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Monday night.

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The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t announced the firing.

ESPN first reported the move.

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Schneider’s Tenure and Special Teams Struggles

Schneider finished his third season in San Francisco and this one was clearly the worst as the Niners finished last in the league in expected points added on special teams and near the bottom of nearly all efficiency stats involved with the kicking game.

The 49ers finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs.

Mistakes on special teams played big roles in some key losses, including a Week 3 defeat against the Rams when San Francisco allowed a fake punt that fueled a scoring drive, missed a field goal that could have put the game away late and gave up a long punt return that set up a game-winning field goal.

But the problems were persistent all season with San Francisco having a punt blocked, giving up a kickoff return for a touchdown, and committing three turnovers on returns over the course of the season. The Niners allowed a successful fake punt again in a season-ending loss at Arizona on Sunday.

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Kicker Jake Moody’s Struggles

The biggest issues on special teams were the struggles of second-year kicker Jake Moody. San Francisco used a third-round pick on Moody in 2023 and he had an up-and-down rookie season.

He made 21 of 25 field goals in the regular season and missing only one extra point. But he missed a potential game-winning kick in a loss at Cleveland and missed field goals in playoff wins against Green Bay and Detroit.

Moody then made three field goals in the Super Bowl with two coming from more than 50 yards, including a go-ahead 53-yard kick late in the fourth quarter against Kansas City. But Moody also had an extra point blocked in that game.

Things fell apart this season with Moody missing a late kick in the loss to the Rams and then losing all confidence when he returned from a high ankle sprain. He went 5 for 14 on FGs from at least 40 yards in nine games following the injury.