Kicker Eddy Piñeiro proved invaluable. Yet, the 49ers signal a preference for negotiation over the costly franchise tag for their star.
The San Francisco 49ers have decisions to make with 27 impending free agents this offseason. While the franchise tag remains an option before the March deadline, it doesn’t sound like the team plans to use it even on their most obvious candidate, kicker Eddy Piñeiro.
Speaking at the NFL Combine, general manager John Lynch made it clear the 49ers are “not anticipating” using the franchise tag this year.
“Eddy was obviously fantastic,” Lynch said. “We got a couple weeks before free agency to continue to work towards something… Obviously there's great interest to try to figure that out.”
That doesn’t sound like a front office preparing to slap a tag on its kicker. It sounds like a team trying to negotiate.
Piñeiro’s Case Is Strong
To be clear, this isn’t about performance.
Piñeiro was one of the best kickers in football in 2025. He led the NFL with a 96.6% field goal conversion rate, connecting on 28 of 29 attempts. He also hit 6 of 7 kicks from 50-plus yards and converted 34 of 38 extra points.
For a team that played in several tight games, that kind of consistency matters.
Historically, the 49ers haven’t been afraid to invest in the position. They franchise-tagged Robbie Gould in 2019 before ultimately signing him to a long-term deal.
So why does this situation feel different?
The Cost of the Tag
The projected franchise tag for kickers in 2026 sits around $6.7 million.
That’s not outrageous in the grand scheme of NFL spending, but it would instantly place Piñeiro among the highest-paid kickers in the league for a single season.
For comparison:
- Harrison Butker currently averages $6.4 million per year.
- Brandon Aubrey is reportedly seeking more than $10 million annually on his next deal.
- Market projections peg Piñeiro closer to the $5.4 million per year range.
If the 49ers believe they can land Piñeiro on a multi-year deal closer to that $5–5.5 million annual range, using the tag becomes unnecessary leverage and an expensive one-year placeholder.
And we all know that San Francisco has bigger financial priorities.
Cap Priorities Matter
The 49ers are juggling extensions, restructures, and depth decisions across the roster. Every dollar matters for a team trying to sustain a championship window.
Using $6.7 million of cap space on a tagged kicker limits flexibility elsewhere. Lynch’s tone suggested confidence, not urgency.
The team likely prefers:
- A reasonable multi-year extension.
- Letting Piñeiro test the market and matching if necessary.
- Avoiding a premium one-year tag altogether.
Reading Between the Lines
When a general manager says he’s “not anticipating” using the franchise tag, that’s usually intentional messaging.
It signals two things:
- The team wants a deal done.
- They don’t want to overpay in the short term.
Piñeiro has earned a payday. But the franchise tag feels like a last resort, not a plan.
Unless negotiations completely stall before the deadline, all signs point to the 49ers avoiding the tag and working toward a contract that keeps their kicker in red and gold without tying up more cap space than necessary.
The clock is definitely ticking.
But for now, the franchise tag doesn’t appear to be part of the plan.