While Kyle Shanahan plans to stick with Jake Moody to end the 2024 NFL season, one of his former players believes the kicker’s time with the 49ers should be up.
Former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman detailed why he believes the 49ers should part ways with Moody during a segment on “The Richard Sherman Podcast.”
“Jake Moody, got to go. Jake Moody has to go at this point,” Sherman said. “I know fans are so sensitive because we’re in a day and age where everybody gets a participation trophy and no you don’t talk bad about anybody. But you got to do your job. At the end of the day, this team loses the game by six points, he missed two field goals and a PAT. You miss two field goals and a PAT, this is a business where you have to execute, especially at that position, and he hasn’t done it at a high enough tilt.
“I understand he was drafted and had all this acclaim. The Detroit Lions found their kicker in a brick shop. Doing a heck of a job, Jake Bates. No offense to him, no shots at him, but you can find a kicker literally anywhere. I think they’ve done the best they could to hold onto him and try to make it work and try to develop him, but it’s time to let it go.”
“Jake Moody has to go at this point”@RSherman_25 says the 49ers have to part ways with their kicker after leaving 7 points on the board in 6-point loss to Lions pic.twitter.com/rlVr64vf83
— Richard Sherman Podcast (@RShermanPodcast) December 31, 2024
Moody entered the NFL with lofty expectations after the 49ers selected the Michigan product in the third round of the 2023 draft. During his rookie season, Moody mostly was solid, making 21 of his 25 regular-season field-goal attempts.
In the playoffs, Moody showed off his powerful leg, drilling all three of his 50-plus-yard field-goal attempts, including a short-lived record-breaking kick in Super Bowl LVIII.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, Moody also missed an extra-point attempt in San Francisco’s Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, a costly error that further was magnified by Kansas City’s ability to hit a game-tying field goal at the end of regulation.
Moody was excellent to begin 2024, making 12 of his first 13 field-goal attempts before suffering a sprained ankle against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5.
Since then, Moody is just 10-of-16 on field-goal attempts, including a tough outing in San Francisco’s loss to the Detroit Lions where he missed two kicks as well as an extra point.
Given the draft capital invested in Moody, it appears the 49ers are giving the second-year kicker every opportunity to right the ship and prove he can be the guy moving forward.
Whether that ends up being the case remains to be seen.
