Shortly after extending kicker Eddy Piñeiro and long snapper Jon Weeks, the 49ers are making a change at another special teams position.
San Francisco has agreed to terms with veteran punter Corliss Waitman in NFL free agency, a source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco on Saturday. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the deal first.
Former Steelers punter Corliss Waitman agreed to terms with the 49ers, source confirms. He becomes the 49ers’ first left-footed punter since Joe Prokop in 1991.
In other words, it’s been quite a long wait, man.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) March 15, 2026
Former Steelers punter Corliss Waitman is signing with the 49ers, sources tell The Insiders.
Waitman’s agent Alexa Stabler confirmed the deal. pic.twitter.com/GyzTlvgW1k
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2026
Waitman, a 30-year-old native of Belgium, went undrafted out of South Alabama before making his NFL debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers in late in the 2021 season. He then played the entire 2022 season with the Denver Broncos, leading the league with 96 punts that year. Waitman then returned to the Steelers in 2023 and 2024.
Across 52 career games, Waitman has averaged 41.7 yards per punt, with 36.5 percent of his punts being downed inside the 20-yard line. By comparison, Thomas Morstead, the 49ers’ punter last season, averaged 36.7 yards per punt in 2025, though 50 percent were downed inside the 20.
Speaking of Morstead, the 40-year-old appeared to confirm San Francisco was moving on in an X post on Saturday.
“Thank you @49ers,” Morstead wrote. “First class organization. Elite culture built by amazing teammates and coaches. Grateful for the experience!”
The 49ers’ special teams ranked No. 2 in the NFL in expected points added during the 2025 season, so the unit will look to continue that positive momentum into the coming year.
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