Report: Jake Moody signing with Chicago Bears practice squad

Former San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody has reportedly signed with the Chicago Bears practice squad, according to FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz. Moody was released by the 49ers on Tuesday after going just 1-for-3 on field goals in the team’s 17-13 season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday.

Moody was a 2023 third-round draft pick by the 49ers out of Michigan, but struggled with consistency across his first three NFL seasons, including missing 10 field goals (24-of-34) last season. The 25-year-old Moody has made 46 of his 62 career field goal tries in the NFL, and is 94-of-96 on extra point tries.

Moody’s struggles simply reached the point of no return after he missed two field goal tries in San Francisco’s closer-than-necessary 17-13 win last Sunday. Had it not been for Brock Purdy‘s game-winning touchdown pass to Jack Tonges with just over a minute left against the Seahawks, blame for the loss would have rested on Moody’s shoulders for his two missed kicks.

“I still feel the same about him, that I believe he is going to be our guy,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said about Moody last December when his struggles really became evident. “Everyone has got to perform and do things like that and I think he has had a tough year. … I thought he was doing really well and then had a high ankle sprain to his kicking foot. Since he’s come back, he hasn’t been as consistent, obviously. But I think a lot of that probably has to do with that, just common-sense-wise.”

Moody had a strong rookie season for the 49ers, who advanced all the way to Super Bowl LVIII, where they fell in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs. Moody made 21-of-25 field goal attempts in 2023, including 4-of-6 from the 40-49 yard range and 2-of-3 from 50 or more yards out.

Prior to this season, Moody switched from the three-step approach to the two-step approach when running up to kick a field goal. That, however, does not seem to have helped his accuracy.

“It seems like a lot of guys transition to that throughout their careers,” Moody said via ESPN‘s Nick Wagoner just days before the 49ers’ season opener. “At least some of the older guys have had success with it, so hopefully I’ll follow in their footsteps and it’s a good change.”

— On3’s Daniel Hager contributed to this report.