Could 49ers franchise tag their kicker Eddy Pineiro? ESPN reveals it’s not impossible originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The San Francisco 49ers have dealt with kicking issues during Kyle Shanahan’s time as head coach, and Jake Moody, who was the kicker for a few years, was a huge question mark.
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They finally moved on from him early in 2025, signing Eddy Pineiro to take his place. And the 30-year-old kicker made all but one of his field goals in 2025, proving to be the answer the 49ers have been looking for at the position.
But, he’s going to be a free agent and would likely field significant interest. With such a future possible, Nick Wagoner of ESPN revealed the possibility of the 49ers using the franchise tag on their kicker. Despite how absurd it sounds, it’s not out of the question.
49ers using franchise tag on kicker Eddy Pineiro isn’t impossible
“The 49ers would prefer not to use the tag on a kicker – especially at a price tag of $6 million to $7 million,” Wagoner writes, “… But the Niners would like to keep around rather than having to conduct another kicker search, so if a long-term deal can’t be worked out, the tag is at least a possibility.”
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The 49ers’ franchise tagging their kicker this offseason is a real possibility. While, ideally, the 49ers would be able to come to an agreement on a long-term extension, the tag isn’t out of the question.
Paying Pineiro $6 to $7 million wouldn’t be a cheap amount, but considering how much he improved the kicking unit, it might be worth it.
He missed one field goal all season on his 29 attempts, and that lone miss was a 64-yarder he hit off the crossbar. He struggled a bit on extra points, going 34-38, but overall, he was a massive net positive for the 49ers.
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The 30-year-old kicker has bounced around the NFL between the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, and the Carolina Panthers before finding a home in San Francisco.
He posted the NFL’s best field goal percentage this season, at 96.6%. It was the best season of his career, and while there might be some concern about the ability to repeat such a season, he’s proven in his career to be a solid kicker at worst.
In the postseason, he made all three of his field goals, including a 56-yarder. The 49ers kicker is worth keeping around, even if it means using the franchise tag.
Franchise tagging a kicker is a strange move on paper, but considering how important he was to the 49ers, it’s well within the realm of possibility that they tag Pineiro this offseason to ensure they don’t have to find a new kicker once again.
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