49ers waive kicker Jake Moody after one game of 2025 season

The San Francisco 49ers waived kicker Jake Moody on Tuesday, a day after the 25-year-old converted one of three field-goal attempts in the season-opening 17-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Moody, who was 1-for-3 on field-goal attempts and made both extra-point tries in the game, had a 27-yard attempt strike the left upright in the second quarter and a 36-yard attempt blocked in the third. He connected on a 32-yard attempt in the fourth quarter. The team placed him on the waiver wire; if he clears, he will become a free agent.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged the team would evaluate options after the opener and did not offer an unequivocal endorsement of Moody’s status. "Right now, I have no question. I’m trying to finish today, get on a plane and evaluate stuff, and go back at it. Ask me every day and I’ll answer how I am right at that moment," Shanahan said following the game.

San Francisco does not have a kicker on its active roster and is expected to bring in several free agents for tryouts ahead of Sunday’s road game against the New Orleans Saints. One possible candidate is veteran Greg Joseph, who competed with Moody for the job during training camp.

Moody was a third-round pick out of Michigan in 2023 and had made 46 of 62 career field-goal attempts with the 49ers. He entered the 2025 season on shaky ground after missing 10 field goals in 2024, the highest total among kickers with 30 or more attempts that year. No other NFL kicker missed two field goals across opening-weekend games this season.

The 49ers’ decision to move off Moody came despite the team’s one-point win over Seattle, a game decided without a reliance on a long-range kicking performance. San Francisco’s special-teams staff and front office will now manage a rapid search and evaluation process to fill the vacancy before the team’s second game.

The roster move underscores the limited margin for error for NFL kickers and the speed with which teams can change personnel in response to performance issues. Moody’s immediate future will be determined by waiver claims. If another team claims him, he will join their roster under his current contract; if unclaimed, he will be free to sign elsewhere.

The 49ers open their next regular-season game in New Orleans on Sunday. The club’s approach to the kicking position in the coming days—whether signing a veteran, promoting from the practice squad, or conducting an open tryout—will shape its special-teams plan for the immediate future.