Nick Folk angle emerges as 49ers commit $17 million to Eddy Pineiro
Eddy Pineiro agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers on a four-year, $17 million contract that includes $10 million guaranteed, a Saturday deal that quickly prompted roster-cost debate and a Nick Folk-style what-if around alternative kickers. The agreement followed Pineiro’s 2025 season in which he hit 28 of 29 field goals.
Eddy Pineiro contract: four years, $17 million, $10 million guaranteed
Pineiro’s agreement with San Francisco runs four years and totals $17 million, with $10 million guaranteed, after he took over the job in Week 2 of the 2025 season. The 49ers added him after the team waived kicker Jake Moody one game into 2025, creating an immediate opening that Pineiro filled for the rest of the year.
San Francisco framed the move as stability at a position that had been unsettled early in 2025, when Moody was cut after Week 1 and Pineiro stepped in starting Week 2. The deal follows one season with the club, during which Pineiro was described as a reliable part of a Kyle Shanahan-led team that reached another postseason appearance.
Kyle Shanahan’s 2025 kicking results: 28-of-29 field goals, 96. 6% led league
In 2025, the 30-year-old Pineiro made 28 of 29 field goals, including 6 of 7 attempts from 50-plus yards, and posted a 96. 6% field-goal rate that led the league. He also converted 34 of 38 extra points during the season, adding a second high-volume data point that helped define his year as a near-automatic option once he replaced Moody.
| Category | Result |
|---|---|
| 2025 field goals | 28 of 29 (96. 6%) |
| 2025 from 50-plus yards | 6 of 7 |
| 2025 extra points | 34 of 38 |
| Career field goals | 139 of 155 (89. 7%) |
| Career extra points | 150 of 164 (91. 5%) |
Across his career, Pineiro has made 139 of 155 field goals for an 89. 7% success rate, and 150 of 164 extra points for 91. 5%. Those career marks, paired with his 2025 finish, shaped the team’s decision to lock him in “for the foreseeable future, ” as the club moved to avoid another in-season reset at kicker.
San Francisco alternatives: Matt Gay’s 4-for-4 stint and the Nick Folk debate
Cost comparisons emerged immediately around whether San Francisco could have spent less at kicker, a conversation that has included a Nick Folk-style framing of veteran alternatives. One alternative discussed was Matt Gay, who the 49ers signed when Pineiro injured his hamstring last season; in his games with San Francisco, Gay made all 4 field goals he attempted and all 3 extra points.
Gay’s broader 2025 results before arriving in San Francisco were mixed: he made 13 of 19 field-goal attempts with Washington and was released after missing two field goals in an overseas game. While the debate highlighted that Gay “would have come at a much cheaper price” than $17 million, the 49ers ultimately committed to Pineiro after a season in which he missed only one field-goal attempt and delivered a 96. 6% success rate.
The contract terms for Pineiro are set at four years and $17 million, with $10 million guaranteed, and the kicker enters the deal after his 28-of-29 field-goal season. If Pineiro maintains a field-goal rate at or above 96. 6% for another full season, San Francisco’s bet on a long-term answer at kicker will look priced to performance rather than merely stability.
