It didn’t take long for former San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody to find a new home.
Moody on Tuesday was placed on waivers. He cleared waivers and became an unrestricted free agent before signing with the Chicago Bears on Friday according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
We’re unlikely to see Moody kicking for the Bears on Sunday in their road matchup with the Detroit Lions, however. Schultz reported Moody is a practice squad addition for Chicago to add some internal competition for incumbent Cairo Santos.
Santos, 33, missed a 50-yard try in Chicago’s 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday. The veteran kicker wasn’t bad last season, but he missed four of his 25 tries and an early miss in 2025 was enough for Chicago to add a younger, internal backup option.
Moody joined the 49ers as the No. 99 overall pick in the 2023 draft. His tumultuous career in San Francisco ultimately concluded when he banged a 27-yard field goal try off the upright at the end of the first half of the 49ers’ 17-13 Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had some trepidation about letting go of Moody in the immediate aftermath of his team’s victory, but the organization eventually decided to part ways with the 25-year-old after he posted a 74.2 percent FG% in 32 games. San Francisco replaced Moody with veteran Eddy Pineiro, who has the fourth-best field goal percentage in NFL history.
Joining the Bears practice squad gives Moody an opportunity to find some stability in the low-pressure environment of relative anonymity. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him resurface with Chicago or another club on an active roster at some point this season.
The Bears and 49ers will face off this season at Levi’s Stadium in a Week 17 Sunday Night Football showdown.
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