The 49ers plan to bring in a veteran kicker to compete with Jake Moody this offseason.
A top candidate just became available.
The Indianapolis Colts on Thursday announced they have released kicker Matt Gay, 31, who connected on 85.5 percent of his field goal attempts in his first six NFL seasons.
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SIGN UP HERE Gay was set to enter the final two years of his contract with scheduled salaries of $4.75 million in 2025 and ’26.
The 49ers selected Moody with the 99th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to replace reliable veteran Robbie Gould. After an up-and-down rookie season, Moody started strong in 2024 before everything went south.
Moody made 13 of his first 14 field-goal attempts last season. He was inactive for three games due to a high-ankle sprain on his kicking leg. When he returned to action, Moody made just 11 of 20 field-goal attempts to finish out the regular season.
General manager John Lynch said the 49ers made a mistake when they brought Moody back from the injury too soon. With his confidence clearly shaken, Moody now has to earn the job this year.
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers plan to add a kicker to engage with Moody in an open competition in training camp and the preseason.
“You have him compete every day in practice,” Shanahan said. “You get to preseason games and that’s about all you can do. But I think when you bring in a guy, and you make it a serious competition, which it will be, he knows he’s got to beat a veteran kicker out.”
Shanahan said it is important that enough pressure is placed on the competition that can best replicate the challenges of kicking during the regular season.
“As long as we bring in a guy who is capable of taking that job, and Jake respects him, that’s what puts pressure on him, because you got to respect the guy you’re going against,” Shanahan said. “And he does have to beat him out in practice.”
Gay is a proven NFL kicker without a team. He would have a legitimate chance to unseat Moody if he opts to join the 49ers.
Gay made all 28 of his field-goal attempts inside 50 yards last season for the Colts. He was just 3-of-9 on kicks of 50 yards or longer.
In his career, Gay has 165 field goals on 193 attempts for an 85.5 accuracy percentage. He has made kicks of at least 55 yards in five of his six NFL seasons. Since 2020, he is 163 of 166 on extra-point attempts.