Could the San Francisco 49ers be getting a new kicker soon? I don’t know if they will, but I’ll tell you this much: they probably need one. Kicker Eddy Pineiro missed another extra point Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, and the questions about his job are getting louder.

After the game, a reporter asked 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan whether the team would try out any kickers this week. Shanahan didn’t commit either way.

“I don’t know, I haven’t talked to anybody about that, we’ll probably discuss on the plane,” Shanahan said.

That isn’t a vote of confidence. It isn’t giving Pineiro a pass either, but it leaves the door wide open.

Shanahan and Lynch have pulled the plug before

Make no mistake about it, Shanahan is not afraid to release a kicker and go get a new one. Neither is 49ers general manager John Lynch. We saw that last year when San Francisco shipped Jake Moody out of town.

That history matters. This front office doesn’t sit on a kicking problem out of loyalty or stubbornness. When the leg becomes a liability, the 49ers have shown they’ll make a move, even in the middle of a season.

So when Shanahan says the team will “probably discuss” it, I take him at his word. That conversation is going to happen. It would honestly be a shame if it didn’t. 

The numbers behind the frustration

Now, Eddy Pineiro came in last year and did a solid job for the 49ers. He went 28-of-29 on field goals in 2025, which is excellent by any standard. The extra points were a different story. He finished 34-of-38 on those, so even during a strong season, the short kicks gave him some trouble.

Unfortunately, the trouble has spread. Pineiro is six for nine on field goals this season, a big drop from last year’s near-perfect mark. He’s also 19-of-22 on extra points, so he’s still leaving free points on the field.

Let’s just call it what it is. You can feel it in the fan base right now, and there isn’t much confidence in Pineiro. I’m not saying he’s a lost cause by any stretch of the imagination. A guy who went 28-of-29 a year ago clearly has the ability. But confidence in a kicker is everything, and right now it appears to be running low.

The bye week is the perfect window

If I’m making the case for moving on from Pineiro, the calendar is my best argument. San Francisco heads into its bye week with two weeks before its next game against the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s the ideal time to bring in a few kickers, see what’s out there, and decide whether a change makes sense.

You don’t get a cleaner opportunity than this. A new kicker would have two full weeks to settle in, work with the long snapper and holder, and get comfortable before game day.

Again, I’d understand if Shanahan wants to stick with Pineiro. There’s something to be said for letting a proven kicker work through a rough stretch, and his track record from last season earned him some patience.

A contender can’t afford a shaky leg

But at the same time, the 49ers are very clearly a Super Bowl contender and a playoff team this year, as long as nobody else goes down with a major injury. Teams with those expectations play a lot of close games in January. Those games come down to a field goal or an extra point more often than anyone wants to admit.

San Francisco needs its kicking game to be a positive instead of a liability, and it has been a liability at times this season. Eddy Pineiro still has a chance to turn it around, but I’d be stunned if the 49ers didn’t at least bring in some kickers for a look over the bye.

If they do, and those workouts go well, don’t be surprised if there’s a new name lining up for kicks when the 49ers face the Raiders.