That clearly is not a theory the 49ers and Patriots adhered to entering this season with respect to their incumbent kickers. And six games into 2023, it’s already costing both of them.
The 49ers’ plight is even worse, because, unlike New England , they’re one of the best teams in the NFL, at 5-1, and figure to be fighting for the top playoff seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout.Cleveland Browns players and coaches celebrate, rear, as San Francisco 49ers place kicker Jake Moody and Mitch Wishnowsky react after Moody missed a field goal during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, in Cleveland.
Sure, Gould carried a $5.5 million cap number in 2022, which is high for a kicker. But the 49ers are not in salary cap trouble,Maybe Moody will work out eventually. Maybe he will shake off the loss from last Sunday and become the kind of kicker the 49ers expected when they drafted him. But if he doesn’t, then Lynch and Shanahan have done a disservice to every other player on their roster who is ready to win a championship now.
The moral to this story is simple: Don’t mess with a dependable, consistent, clutch kicker who’s already on your roster.