The San Francisco 49ers have some decisions to make with regards to their special teams unit in 2025. After the struggles the team endured, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the team will have a new kicker and punter next season.
Special teams was not fun to watch last season for the Niners. They struggled kicking the ball, punting the ball, then tackling people after kicking or punting said ball. They weren't very good at returning kicks or punts either. It was just ugly all around which is why they fired their special teams coordinator Brian Schneider and replaced him with Brant Boyer.
The highest-profile special teams struggles were experienced by kicker Jake Moody. He started the season off decently, but after he injured his ankle trying to make a tackle early in the season and missed several weeks, he never looked the same.
He finished the season having made 24 of 34 field-goal attempts, which is not ideal. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has publicly stated that Moody will have competition to be the starting kicker next season, and there are already some interesting veteran options available.
We will have to see how the whole Moody saga plays out, but he may not be the only special teams player on the hot seat.
Mitch Wishnowsky may join Jake Moody on 49ers' hot seat
Australian punter Mitch Wishnowsky is another player who the Niners may decide to move on from in 2025. The veteran only played in nine games last season due to a back injury which forced the team to bring in veteran Pat O'Donnell.
Even when Wishnowsky was on the field, his performance was not great. His average net yards per punt was the lowest of his career at 36.3, and his average yards per punt was 45.2, which was down from 47.7 in 2023.
Perhaps this can simply be attributed to him dealing with an injury, but with a new special teams coordinator, the team may decide to bring in some competition for Wishnowsky in the preseason.
San Francisco brought in Pressley Harvin III in the preseason last year as Wishnowsky dealt with a knee injury and the former impressed. We know the ethos of this offseason for the 49ers has been to save as much money as possible, so perhaps the Niners will decide to save a buck or two by bringing in a cheaper and younger option to replace Wishnowsky.
Special teams has been a weakness for San Francisco for a while now, so do not be surprised if the team decides to truly shake things up in 2025 by moving on from both Moody and Wishnowsky.