49ers' Jake Moody Reflects on Mindset Change After Shaky Season

San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody came into the 2024 season riding high after the former third-round pick shined as a rookie. Unfortunately he fell into a sophomore slump, which forced the 49ers into action this offseason.

After making 21 of 25 kicks (84 percent) as a rookie, Moody was 24/34 (70.6 percent) on field goals last season, which ranked 33rd among all kickers with at least 10 attempts. In his defense, he started 13/14 before an ankle injury, which lingered upon his return. The Michigan product was a worrisome 11/20 on field goals in the last nine games of the year.

“It’s unacceptable to be kicking the way I was the second half of the year,” Moody told The Athletic back in June when he was making some adjustments to his mechanics with a private coach.

This offseason, veteran free agent Greg Joseph was signed to provide some insurance to the 49ers kicking game, and possibly create some competitiveness that could get Moody in a more focused head space.

"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what he did in the past, for me," new special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said this week at training camp. "When I come here, I want to see what he's done from here on, and you try to give everybody a clean slate."

"I'd seen a guy that lost his confidence a little bit," Boyer added. "But I'd also seen a guy that was injured half the year, you know? He's a super talented kid and I think he's just got to get his stinger back, so to speak."

Moody will say that his confidence didn't take a hit after last season, but he's still putting the proper attention on the mental aspect of the sport as he prepares for a new year.

"Yeah, last season was tough, but I wouldn't say there were thoughts about confidence or anything like that," Moody said at camp. "It was just more so learning experiences, and just kind of moving on to the now. Not harping on what had happened but just focusing on the present, talking to people about mindsets to move forward and having that kind of process over outcome mindset. ... The moment that I’m on the field just focus on the kick and not the results or anything that might follow.

“I want to prove to myself that I deserve to be here, that I belong. It doesn’t have anything to do with last year or other people or anything. Just changed my mindset to focusing on the now and doing what I can to help myself best make kicks.”

So far in this new training camp competition, Moody is 3/4 on field goals with a miss from 50 yards out, and Joseph is 2/4 with misses from 40 and 50.