Last season, the San Francisco 49ers relied on Pat O’Donnell and Mitch Wishnowsky to handle the punting duties, and the team finished 30th in net yards per punt (39), 29th in total yards per punt (45.1) and tied for 30th in punts downed inside the 20-yard line (19).
With that, San Francisco let O’Donnell go unsigned in free agency, and they opted to release Wishnowsky last month to sign veteran punter Thomas Morstead.
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Morstead, 39, joined the 49ers after 12 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, one with the Miami Dolphins, three with the New York Jets and a short stint with the Atlanta Falcons.
When Morstead originally signed with San Francisco, he chose to wear No. 9, but he quickly informed fans who, as he said, would be so bold as to buy a punter’s jersey, that it wouldn’t be his permanent number for the 2025 season.
On Thursday, Morstead announced that he’ll officially wear No. 7 this year, which he hasn’t worn despite wearing five different numbers in his career. Interestingly, No. 7 did belong to kicker Greg Joseph, who played with Morstead in New York last season. However, it appears that Joseph is switching to No. 3, which he’ll share with wide receiver Malik Knowles for now.
It’s unclear if Morstead bought the number from Joseph, which has become customary in the NFL these days, but the two clearly have a relationship, so there’s a chance that San Francisco’s new kicker gave it to his friend.
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Joseph has worn six different numbers in his six previous stops, including No. 7, which he wore with the Tennessee Titans in his two games with them in 2019.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers’ Thomas Morstead steals Greg Joseph’s jersey number