The San Francisco 49ers officially parted ways with kicker Jake Moody, a 2023 third-round draft pick, after his struggles carried into Week 1. The team waived Moody this week, signing veteran Eddy Piñeiro as his replacement.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed reporters before Wednesday's practice and explained what ultimately pushed the team to make the move.
"I think, by where it got to, there wasn't that much of a decision," Shanahan said. "It's always tough with that, especially when you have a talented guy. I have some experience with that in my past."
Shanahan reflected on his time with the Washington Commanders, when he wanted to move on from struggling kicker Graham Gano, but then-head coach Mike Shanahan pushed to give Gano more time.
"He snapped at me and said, 'You don't know kickers. This guy's really talented. We've got to give him some time. I'm not going to watch him go be a Pro Bowler for someone else,'" Kyle Shanahan said. "Then two weeks later, he missed a kick and lost us a game, so I felt validated. I was like, 'Told you,' which I was right for like a day, because then, the next year, he went on to be a Pro Bowler and the highest-paid kicker in the league for the next three years for another team."
Shanahan admitted that similar concerns factored into the 49ers' decision-making with Moody. While he still believes the young kicker has a bright future, the mental aspect of the game has become too significant to overlook.
"It's tough with a kicker," Shanahan acknowledged. "I think Jake's got a chance to have a hell of a future. He is that talented. But when it gets to that spot, where it is, we all know how last year ended. We know how everyone was looking at him. And obviously, when it gets to that point, you can see it affecting him from a mental game.
"Then, you don't have much choice. You've got to move on. Hopefully, Eddy will come in here and do the job."
Shanahan emphasized that Moody's inconsistency and apparent loss of confidence were the deciding factors.
"He wasn't kicking the ball well enough, and it was way too inconsistent," Shanahan added. "So, once that happens, and when your stroke in golf is changing all the time, and you're trying to fix things, trying not to miss, it's very hard to succeed at this level that way. There wasn't anything I had to beat around the bush on. He knew that.
"And to a degree, I think this will give him a chance to move on, and hopefully, find a place where he can get a swag back in that way."