Weeks is back, but high-stakes kicker decisions and punting concerns loom large for the 49ers' crucial special teams unit.
The San Francisco 49ers took care of one piece of business on special teams, but there’s still plenty left to sort out across the entire unit.
The team recently re-signed veteran long snapper Jon Weeks to a one-year extension, ensuring continuity at one of the most overlooked positions on the roster. Weeks, 40, appeared in all 17 games last season and earned his second Pro Bowl nod, a testament to both consistency and durability at a spot where mistakes are magnified instantly.
But the rest of the specialist trio remains unsettled.
Kicker Eddy Pineiro is entering free agency after arguably the most efficient season of his career. Pineiro converted 28 of 29 field goal attempts last year (96.6 percent), with his lone miss coming from beyond 55 yards. He was perfect from inside 50 and added reliability on extra points, finishing the season with over 110 total points.
For a team that played in nine one-score games, that consistency mattered. League-wide, the average field goal percentage hovered around 86 percent. Pineiro outperformed that mark by a wide margin. If the 49ers want continuity in high-leverage moments, re-signing him won’t come cheap. Right now the going market rate for top kickers is approaching $6–7 million annually.
Then there’s punter Thomas Morstead.
Morstead, also 40, handled punting duties last season but struggled statistically. He finished near the bottom of the league in gross average (43.2 yards per punt) and ranked last in net average at 37.0 yards. Net average, which factors in return yardage, is often the clearest indicator of effectiveness, and that number simply isn’t good enough for a team emphasizing field position.
For comparison, the league’s top net punters hovered around 42–44 yards. That five to seven yard swing per punt adds up quickly over the course of a season.
Beyond the specialists, San Francisco’s coverage units were middle of the pack. The 49ers allowed 11.2 yards per punt return (bottom third in the NFL) and finished outside the top 20 in average starting field position. Return production was modest as well, with no punt return touchdowns and an average kickoff return barely cracking 22 yards.
Basically, the unit wasn’t disastrous but it also wasn’t a strength.
Re-signing Weeks locks in reliability at long snapper. The bigger questions revolve around whether Pineiro is worth a market-value deal and whether Morstead’s production justifies another season.
Special teams often fade into the background until they decide games. If the 49ers want to sharpen every edge in a competitive NFC, this phase of the roster can’t be treated as an afterthought.