The San Francisco 49ers were able to come-from-behind and beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-13 on Sunday at Lumen Field, but their special teams issues from last year were clearly evident in their 2025 season opener.

During the contest, kicker Jake Moody missed a 27-yard field goal and had another from 36 yards blocked. While he made another field goal from 32 yards out and two extra points, it wasn’t enough to appease the fan base or the coaching staff.

On Tuesday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the 49ers are waiving Moody just one game into his third professional.

The 25-year-old was great in college at Michigan, earning All-Big Ten and All-American honors in the final two seasons of his five-year career with the Wolverines. He also earned the Lou Groza Award for the best kicker in college football in 2021.

San Francisco took Moody in the third round (No. 99 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft, and he had a strong rookie season, making 21-of-25 field goals (84%) and 60-of-61 extra points (98.4%). However, 2024 was much worse for Moody, as he made just 24-of-34 field goals (70.6%) and 32-of-33 extra points (97%).

Moody battled veteran kicker Greg Joseph for the job this offseason, and while the two had similar numbers in split opportunities, the 49ers went with the younger option.

With Moody being waived, the 49ers need to find a new kicker. Joseph is still unsigned, if San Francisco feels more comfortable going back to a guy that was in the building this offseason.

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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers finally cut ties with one of their biggest issues
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect