Eddy Piñeiro celebrates after the 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 16-15 on his last-second field goal at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 21.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
A simple Google search tells you that Eddy Piñeiro, who signed the largest contract of his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, is the second most-accurate placekicker in NFL history. His field goal percentage, 89.677%, beats out some of the biggest names at this position, including Justin Tucker (89.103%), Harrison Butker (88.38%) and Brandon Aubrey (88.189%).
But when Piñeiro, 30, spoke of his deal, on paper worth $17 million with $10 million guaranteed over the next four years, he spoke as if his paycheck depended on the next kick. For years, it did.
“Just excited to be here and make as many kicks as I can so I can stay around as long as I can,” Piñeiro said.
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He still carries the scars of his journeyman introduction to the NFL. He signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2018 but missed the entire season due to a groin injury. He was traded to the Bears in 2019, made 23 of 28 field-goal attempts, and rightfully earned a chance to return the following season, only to find himself on the season-ending injured reserve list again in 2020.
Piñeiro ping-ponged around the league in 2021. The Colts signed him in May and waived him in August. Washington signed him to its practice squad for eight days in September before releasing him with an injury settlement. Then the Jets signed him in December, watched him go 8-for-8 on field goals and 9-for-10 on extra points in five games, tendered him as a restricted free agent in March 2022 to give themselves the right of first refusal, and released him anyway in August, back where he started from the year prior.
It was his crash course on a decabillion-dollar business. He admitted to being a bit naive.
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“That’s why I think it’s so hard for rookies when they come in,” said Piñeiro, who finally found some stability with the Panthers from 2022-24. “It’s just such a short leash they have with kickers. You miss kicks, you’re gone. It’s just part of the process, and I wish I would have known that faster in my career. I’m like, ‘Oh, I miss one, I’m gonna be OK.’ No, you’re not gonna be OK.”
Niners kicker Eddy Piñeiro boots his first field goal of the game in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 21.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle
The 49ers were perhaps unusually patient with Jake Moody, whom Piñeiro replaced, because they drafted Moody in the third round in 2023. The young kicker spent the 2025 offseason shortening his step-by-step approach to field goals in hopes of a turnaround. His confidence never recovered.
It was fortunate timing that one of the most accurate kickers in the sport was waiting for a call when the organization finally moved on from Moody.
Hardened by his own shortfalls in the past, Piñeiro stepped in and just started making kicks. His conversion rate of 96.6% (28 of 29 on field goals) tied for first last season with Jets kicker and longtime NFL veteran Nick Folk, 41, who led the NFL in field-goal percentage the previous two seasons as well, and was once coached by current 49ers special teams coordinator Brant Boyer.
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Folk’s last season during an earlier stint with the Jets in 2016 was Boyer’s first there. Two seasons later, Boyer coached Jason Myers, now a Super Bowl champion with the Seahawks, to his first Pro Bowl in 2018 before Myers left for Seattle in free agency. Piñeiro surely had options on the heels of his career year in 2025. Boyer was “happy as hell” to see a top-tier kicker get paid to stay on his team, for once.
“I’ve lost too many in the past to not worry about it,” Boyer said. “So, yeah, you always worry.”
Kicking is a very all-or-nothing endeavor that is probably too easy to evaluate. It’s either a make or a miss. Piñeiro understands the stakes.
This time last year, he was unemployed, training with his dad at a local high school in Miami.
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“I feel like there’s always pressure,” Piñeiro said. “I mean, I thank God that I got the contract that I got, but at the end of the day none of that matters. If I keep making kicks, I’ll be here. And if I don’t make kicks, I’m not gonna be here.”