Ex-49ers Kicker Jake Moody Joins Bears' Practice Squad After Week 1 Struggles
Chicago adds the 25-year-old former third-round pick as competition behind starter Cairo Santos following Moody's release from San Francisco
Jake Moody has signed with the Chicago Bears’ practice squad after being released by the San Francisco 49ers following a rocky start to the 2025 season, NFL Network first reported.
Moody, 25, missed two of three field-goal attempts in San Francisco’s 17-13 opening-week win over the Seattle Seahawks and was cut by the 49ers later in the week. The veteran of two NFL seasons joins a Bears kicking room that includes veteran starter Cairo Santos, who missed a 50-yard attempt late in Chicago’s 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1.
A third-round pick (No. 99 overall) in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Michigan, Moody made 84 percent of his field-goal attempts as a rookie. His conversion rate declined to 70.6 percent last season. During the 2024 campaign, Moody went 4-for-9 on attempts from 50 yards or longer; among kickers with a comparable number of long attempts, only one player had a lower success rate.
In San Francisco’s opener at Lumen Field on Sept. 7, Moody converted one of three tries, missing a 27-yard attempt and having another attempt blocked in a game decided by four points. The 49ers’ victory required little contribution from the kicking game, and the club moved on from Moody ahead of Week 2.
The Bears added Moody to their practice squad to provide depth and competition behind Santos. Chicago’s special-teams issues in Week 1 included the missed 50-yard field goal against Minnesota, a moment that left the kicking position a point of focus for the franchise.
Moody’s move to Chicago reunites him with an organization that often evaluates in-season options at specialist positions. Practice squad status allows Moody to work with the Bears’ coaches and handle scout-team duties while remaining available for elevation to the active roster if the team chooses.
Moody’s career arc so far includes a strong rookie season followed by a statistically weaker second year and the high-profile Week 1 misses that prompted San Francisco’s roster move. The Bears’ addition gives the former Wolverine an immediate opportunity to work toward regaining game form and to compete for playing time should circumstances with the active roster change.
Teams often shuffle kicking personnel in the regular season in response to performance and injuries. Moody will be eligible for elevation from the practice squad under current NFL rules, and his time in Chicago will be monitored as both he and the Bears determine whether a practice-squad signing leads to an active-roster role.
