The San Francisco 49ers turned things around in a big way on special teams in 2025. That turnaround was thanks in large part to new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer, but San Francisco brought in new players at every important special teams position.
Now, basically all of those players are free agents.
Obviously, special teams had a bit of a lapse for the Niners in the divisional round against the Seattle Seahawks, as it gave up a touchdown on the opening kickoff, which set the tone for the rest of the game.
However, for anyone who watched the 49ers' special teams play last season, 2025 was a marked improvement in just about every respect.
After the Niners finally moved on from kicker Jake Moody after an awful Week 1 performance, they brought in Eddy Piñeiro who was a godsend for the team. He only missed one field goal all season, and it was a 60-something yard kick that hit the crossbar and was just a foot or so from being good.
He did miss four extra points, but that is consistent with his career numbers as he has puzzlingly always had a penchant for missing the kicks that most assume are gimmes.
Piñeiro is going to be a free agent, and after how well he kicked for San Francisco, you can bet there is going to be some competition for his services next season. However, after the dark days of Moody, the 49ers should be willing to spend a little extra to make sure they have a solid placekicker.
Punter Thomas Morstead was incredibly solid, but he is 39 years old and might be mulling retirement. Maybe his relationship with Boyer can convince him to stick around for one more year even though he wasn't used a ton down the stretch in the regular season.
Skyy Moore was traded for ahead of the regular season as it became clear that the Niners needed more depth in the wide receiver department. Moore had a reputation as a shaky returner, but by the end of the year, he proved to be arguably the best returner the team has had since the days of Ted Ginn Jr.
Moore almost took a punt return to the house and almost took a kickoff to the house but was tackled just short of the goal line both times. They should try to keep him around to keep a little continuity in the return game.
Even role players like Luke Gifford, who proved to be a solid addition to the kick coverage game, are set to hit free agency so the Niners may have a very different group on special teams next season.
San Francisco got a taste of what good special teams play can look like in the 2025 season, so it needs to make sure 2026 is not a return to the Dark Ages.