Eddy Pineiro doesn’t have to worry about his job security … at least not yet.
The 49ers maligned kicker missed his fourth extra point of the season Sunday against the Falcons, giving coach Kyle Shanahan something to talk over with general manager John Lynch on the cross-country flight back following the 29-20 loss in Atlanta.
Some 24 hours later, though, Shanahan had no update to deliver when asked if Pineiro’s struggles would lead San Francisco to try out other kickers over its bye week.
“I haven’t discussed it with guys. I haven’t been told that we are,” Shanahan said. “As far as I’ve heard, we don’t have any plans on that right now.”
In Pineiro’s case, no news is good news.
The 31-year-old kicker signed a four-year, $17 million extension this offseason after acting as a saving grace for the 49ers’ kicking woes last year. Now, though, the same problems are rearing their head — only with Pineiro, rather than the erstwhile Jake Moody.
Pineiro made all but one of his 29 field goal attempts upon signing with San Francisco in Week 2, the best success rate in NFL history (96.6%). His only miss came from 64 yards.
It’s been a different story this year, albeit a familiar one for 49ers fans. In addition to his four missed extra points in 25 tries, Pineiro has split the uprights on six of nine field goal attempts.
His point-after woes came to a head this week, leaving the 49ers still trailing by two scores when Brock Purdy got the ball late in the fourth quarter for what turned into their final drive.
Pineiro missed the extra point after the 49ers scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to 26-20. Had it been good, the 49ers still would have been able to tie the game with a touchdown and a two-point conversion after the Falcons extended their lead to 29-20.
The 49ers had an opportunity to cut the deficit to nine earlier in the fourth quarter after driving near the red zone, but faced with a fourth-and-10 at the Falcons’ 23, Shanahan decided to go for it. Purdy was sacked, giving the ball back to Atlanta still trailing 26-14.
Shanahan said Pineiro’s struggles from short distance didn’t factor into his decision.
“I didn’t consider the field goal, and it had nothing to do with whether I thought we’d make it or not,” Shanahan said. “It was a two-touchdown game at the time and I didn’t think a field goal was going to change much. I also thought we could get that first down.”
Nevertheless, Pineiro hasn’t been as money as he was last year. Money, it turns out, could be a complicating factor in moving on from him. Although the 49ers have plenty of cap space, it would cost them $6 million in dead money next year if they were to cut him this season.
Regardless, he should probably still be looking over his shoulder.
