49ers' Eddy Piñeiro already has 7 missed kicks. Cutting him won't be cheap.
· Yahoo Sports
The San Francisco 49ers have a problem at kicker again, and it may lead to a costly choice about Eddy Piñeiro's job.
San Francisco lost for the first time in 2026 on Sunday, falling 29-20 to the Falcons in Atlanta. There were plenty of factors in the loss, including a defense that struggled with penalties and four offensive turnovers, two via costly Brock Purdy interceptions in the second half. But Piñeiro made himself one of those factors when he missed an extra point midway through the fourth quarter.
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This missed kick proved extra costly because it kept the 49ers down six, at 26-20. Had he made it, the 49ers could have kept it a one-score game when the Falcons kicked a late field goal. Instead, the Niners needed two scores and were basically done at that point.
It's the seventh missed kick from Piñeiro this season, with four missed extra points - two misses in a Week 3 win over the Cardinals and one on Monday night against the Commanders - and three missed field goals. This week, coach Kyle Shanahan has been curt when asked about the kicking game, making it clear he expects Piñeiro to make his chances.
The 49ers clearly felt they solved their major kicking issues when they signed Piñeiro last year and he missed just one field goal and four extra points in 14 games. San Francisco signed the veteran to a four-year, $17 million deal that included $10 million guaranteed - including every dollar of his 2026 and 2027 salaries.
That's looking like an unfortunate bet now. With many calling on the Niners to cut Piñeiro, OverTheCap reports that San Francisco would have to put nearly $6 million of dead money on their salary cap to move on from the kicker right away. The kicker's current cap number is $1.95 million, meaning the 49ers would need to use just slightly more than $4 million of their current space to release Pineiro.
The 49ers do have the most cap space of any team in the NFL, with more than $42 million available, according to OverTheCap. Still, using around 10% of that just to cut a player on their active roster is surely not how the Niners want to use that space. But if the team has no confidence in their kicker to go out and make the kicks they need, they might decide to make that move happen anyway.
The 49ers will have some extra time to consider their decision as they enter their bye week, with their next game set for Nov. 8 at home against the Raiders.
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This article originally published at 49ers' Eddy Piñeiro already has 7 missed kicks. Cutting him won't be cheap..