San Francisco 49ers General Manager John Lynch just threw a massive vote of confidence behind struggling kicker Eddy Piñeiro this Tuesday, stating the team won’t even look at other kickers during their bye week. This move comes less than a day after head coach Kyle Shanahan sounded way less committed, especially with Piñeiro ranking a dismal 30th out of 31 qualifying kickers in field-goal percentage at 66.7% and 26th out of 28 in extra-point percentage at 84.0%. Remember, the 49ers signed Piñeiro to a four-year, $17 million extension back in March, with a hefty $10 million guaranteed. That’s a lot of cheddar for current production.
The Numbers Don’t Lie, But GM Lynch Does Not Care
Piñeiro’s 2026 season has been a rough ride. He has only made 6 of 9 field-goal attempts so far, and get this, all three of those misses were from 50-plus yards. He’s 2 of 5 from that distance, missing two 52-yard tries (one even clanked off the right upright) and having a 54-yard attempt blocked. His extra point woes are even more glaring, with 21 of 25 made. Just last Sunday, he missed his fourth 33-yard extra point of the season in their 29-20 loss to the Falcons.
It makes Shanahan’s initial hesitation completely understandable. After that Falcons game, Shanahan actually said he expected to talk with Lynch about potential kicker tryouts on the flight home. But Lynch? He’s completely overridden that sentiment. “We have a lot of belief in Eddy,” Lynch stated on KNBR, adding, “He has had a tough run early this year, but we extended Eddy (not only) for his body of work with us but then throughout the history of his career. He’s going through a rough patch right now.” He doubled down, saying, “We have belief in Eddy. We’re going to ride with him.”
A Rollercoaster Career and a Head-Scratching Pattern
So why is Lynch so sold? He is clearly banking on Piñeiro’s career resume. Before this season, Piñeiro, at 31, ranked third in NFL history in field-goal percentage at 88.4%. In his first year with the 49ers in 2025, he led the league, hitting an incredible 28 of 29 attempts for 96.6%. His only miss that year? A 64-yarder that just barely hit the middle of the crossbar, which would have matched the fifth-longest in NFL history. He was inches away from joining Gary Anderson and Mike Vanderjagt as the only kickers to have a perfect season with at least 25 attempts. Plus, in 2025, he nailed 6 of 7 from 50-plus yards, including a 59-yarder, the second-longest in franchise history.
However, Lynch’s full belief has to wrestle with a curious career-long pattern in Piñeiro’s extra-point game. While he entered 2026 ranked second in NFL history in field-goal percentage (89.7%), his extra-point percentage at 91.5% ranked a shocking 35th among 36 kickers from 2019-2025 who had at least 100 attempts. Even in his stellar 2025 season, he only made 34 of 38 extra points, which put him 25th among 27 qualifying kickers at 89.5%. It’s like he’s two different kickers depending on the distance.
The 49ers are now all-in on Piñeiro turning this “rough patch” around. With a bye week ahead, there’s no immediate pressure of a game, but the decision to not even try out other kickers shows a high level of commitment, and some might say, risk. They are riding with their guy, and the rest of the league will be watching closely to see if that $10 million guaranteed investment pays off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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