The San Francisco 49ers entered this offseason facing difficult roster decisions.
With nearly 30 players hitting free agency, pressure mounted on general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan to identify which pieces truly matter in a championship window.
While much of the attention centered on wide receivers and defensive depth, one position quietly became a top priority.
After years of instability at kicker, the 49ers finally found consistency in Eddy Piñeiro, whose performance last season reshaped the team’s late-game confidence.
Piñeiro delivered one of the most efficient kicking seasons in franchise history, converting 28 of 29 field goals for a league-best 97 percent success rate.
His reliability extended into the postseason, where he drilled all three field goal attempts and remained calm in high-pressure moments.
For a Shanahan-led team that had previously endured painful special teams miscues, that steadiness was invaluable.
League insiders, including Adam Schefter, noted that retaining Piñeiro quickly rose near the top of San Francisco’s offseason checklist.
Internally, the belief was simple. In a conference where playoff games are often decided by three points or fewer, elite special teams production can be the difference between heartbreak and hardware.
After evaluating the market and weighing their options, the 49ers made their move.
According to Schefter, San Francisco has signed Piñeiro to a four-year contract worth $5.4 million per season, keeping him with the team through the 2029 campaign.
The deal represents a significant raise from his previous salary and underscores how highly the organization values stability at the position.
Rather than risk reopening an old weakness, the 49ers chose certainty.
In a division as competitive as the NFC West, that decision could quietly shape the next chapter of their Super Bowl pursuit.
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