Kyle Shanahan Desperate To Fix 31-Point Problem With $17M Veteran After Brock Purdy Shut Down Contract Offer

Picture a diner in the heart of San Francisco. The coffee’s hot, the sourdough’s fresh, and the regulars are arguing over the Niners like it’s 1989. But this isn’t Montana-to-Rice nostalgia. The chatter’s sour—like a missed field goal that spirals from “game-winner” to “gatekeeper of doom.” For Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers’ head coach, the 2024 season felt less like a Lombardi Trophy chase and more like a blooper reel. Think The Bad News Bears meets Monday Night Football.

The Niners’ collapse from NFC elites to division cellar-dwellers wasn’t just about defensive meltdowns. It was about points—specifically, 31 of them left on the field by shaky kicks. Like a golfer three-putting every green, San Francisco’s special teams became a slow-motion car crash. Kyle Shanahan, a play-calling savant, suddenly found himself playing whack-a-mole with a problem no X’s and O’s could fix.

Here’s the math that’s haunted Kyle Shanahan’s offseason: 10 missed field goals (30 points) + 1 botched extra point = a season buried under self-inflicted wounds. Jake Moody, the once-promising third-round pick, cratered in 2024, converting just 70.6% of his kicks. His nadir?

A Monday Night Football disaster against Detroit where he whiffed twice on field goals, flubbed an XP, and butchered an onside kick. “Definitely probably one of the lowest times in my career dating back to when I first started football,” Moody admitted, sounding like a quarterback who’d just thrown a pick-six in the Super Bowl. “Confidence, you know, you got to keep it high. You have no other choice as a kicker.” Meanwhile, teammates tried rallying around him.

George Kittle, ever the optimist, told Moody, “Do you believe in yourself?” Moody replied, “I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Well I believe in you then.’” But belief doesn’t fix a 53-yard shank. With Moody’s confidence as shaky as a Jenga tower, Kyle Shanahan is now eyeing a $17 million lifeline: veteran kicker Matt Gay, freshly released by Indianapolis. Gay’s no Justin Tucker, but his 85.5% career accuracy is a lighthouse in San Francisco’s fog. Kyle Shanahan’s solution?

Competition. Bringing in Matt Gay isn’t just about replacing Moody—it’s about sparking a fire. “As long as we bring in a guy who is capable of taking that job, and Jake respects him, that’s what puts pressure on him, because you got to respect the guy you’re going against,” Shanahan stressed. Meanwhile, Gay’s no lock.

He went 3-for-9 on 50+ yard kicks last year—but his presence forces Moody to fish or cut bait. For a team that’s lost its margin for error, even small upgrades matter. And while Kyle Shanahan scrambles to fix special teams, another storm brews: Brock Purdy’s contract stalemate.

Shanahan’s gamble and Purdy’s payday problem

The “Mr. Irrelevant” turned franchise QB wants Dak Prescott money ($55M–$58M/year), but the 49ers’ initial offer landed with a thud. “The latest is that the 49ers have made an offer. It’s kind of sitting out there,” reported NBC’s Matt Maiocco. “The offer the 49ers have made isn’t one that Brock Purdy’s side is inclined to take at this point, nor will they.” Purdy’s camp isn’t blinking—why would they?

He’s 23-13 as a starter, and the cap just ballooned by $20 million. But here’s the thing. Paying Purdy top dollar means gutting the roster. Deebo Samuel’s already gone. Brandon Aiyuk might follow. It’s a high-stakes poker game now, and Kyle Shanahan’s holding a pair of twos. “We expect fully that Aiyuk will be a part of us moving forward,” GM John Lynch insists, but whispers suggest otherwise.

The Niners’ front office is rearranging deck chairs on a Titanic-sized cap sheet. Meanwhile, Purdy’s contract limbo threatens to overshadow everything. The 49ers cleared $38 million in cap space, yet the QB’s camp sees a lowball offer. It’s a stalemate reminiscent of The Godfather: “It’s not personal, it’s business.” But in the NFL, business is personal. Besides, Kyle Shanahan’s 2025 season hinges on two gambles.

Reviving Moody or trusting Gay, and paying Purdy without gutting his core. It’s a high-wire act over a canyon of fan impatience. As author John Steinbeck once wrote, “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” The Niners’ journey? Unpredictable. Can Shanahan fix his kicker woes and lock down Purdy? Or will this be the year the house finally collapses? Grab your popcorn, San Francisco. The drama’s just getting started.