Free-Agent Kickers the 49ers Could Bring in to Challenge Jake Moody for 2025…

Perhaps the San Francisco 49ers learned their lesson. Don’t draft kickers.

The Niners found this out the hard way after using a 2023 third-round pick on Michigan’s Jake Moody, who had his inconsistencies in year one, looked solid enough early in year two but then suffered a high-ankle sprain that led to a wholly disastrous finale to 2024.

In the end, Moody finished his sophomore year with a woefully inadequate 70.6 field-goal percentage.

For those NFL historians out there, the biggest kicker “bust” in recent memory, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Roberto Aguayo, converted 71 percent of his field-goal tries during his lone season in the NFL.

Moody can blame injuries, yes. So did general manager John Lynch when asked at the NFL Scouting Combine about his specialist’s drastic fall.

“We have belief in him, that he will rise to the top,” Lynch said of Moody. “So, that’s something to keep tabs on, if we do decide to bring someone in. But we’re very hopeful that what we had envisioned for him is still very possible.”

The part where Lynch ponders whether to “bring someone in” is notable, and putting some heat on Moody between now and Week 1 is surely on the table.

Maybe one of these pending free-agent kickers would suffice for some friendly competition.

No. 1: Nick Folk

At 40 years old, it’s unclear whether or not Nick Folk even wants to play another season after spending the last two years with the Tennessee Titans. He did, however, lead the NFL in field-goal percentage during that span with marks of 96.7 and 95.5 in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Folk might not see San Francisco as desirable if he indeed wants to play in 2025, though, especially if Moody remains the preferred option.

That said, if the 49ers are secretly looking to move on from Moody and find someone who is, well… reliable, the ageless Folk seems more than just plausible.

No. 2: Brandon McManus

In the same mold as Folk, albeit younger, Brandon McManus could be a veteran kicker upgrade over Moody after coming off a career-best 95.2 field-goal percentage with the Green Bay Packers a year ago.

Having spent nine previous years with the Denver Broncos, a team Lynch knows well, looking into McManus’ strengths and weaknesses wouldn’t be difficult.

Sure, his 82.2 field-goal percentage over a career spanning back to 2014 isn’t other-worldly, but the comfort level over Moody would surely be there.

No. 3: Joey Slye

Folk and McManus are probably looking for permanent homes. They’re not journeymen specialists who’ll find themselves on two or even three different teams over the course of the year.

Joey Slye, however, is very much in the latter category.

In 2021, he spent time with not only the Niners (three games) but also with the Washington Football Team and Houston Texans before finding somewhat permanent homes with Washington again for 2022 and 2023 before landing with the New England Patriots last season.

He made seven of his eight field-goal tries over three games for San Francisco, for those who can’t recall.

No. 4: Zane Gonzalez

Oh, hey. Another recollection.

The 49ers traded with the Carolina Panthers for Zane Gonzalez early in 2023 before drafting Moody, which prompted a camp competition the latter ultimately won (being a Round 3 draftee helps).

Having missed 2023 because of injury, Gonzalez appeared in six games for the Commanders last year as a late-season pickup.

Sure, it might be awkward to bring Gonzalez back for a grudge-match competition with Moody once more.

But, heck. The two have already engaged in such already. Why not again?