It’s funny how perceptions flip. In the early weeks of the 2025 season, we were lamenting 49ers returner Skyy Moore’s head-scratching decisions to field punts deep in the 49ers’ territory. The only head-scratcher now is how bright Moore’s future is.
Moore has been one of the key players in making the 49ers’ special teams one of the better units in the league. That’s right, a unit that was the 49ers’ Achilles heel for years is now helping them win games. For punt returns, the 49ers average 12.1 yards (10th) and have 254 total yards gained on punt returns (ninth).
They also have five kickoffs returned for 40 yards or more—tied for second in the league.
In the 49ers’ 26-8 win Sunday over the Browns, Moore’s development as a returner helped again with a key punt return in the first quarter to help the 49ers get on the board.
“I think Skyy’s been awesome,” Kyle Shanahan said after the 49ers‘ 26-8 win over the Cleveland Browns. “We keep feeling him for a while now, getting better and better.”
Credit to special teams coach Brant Boyer and his first year with the 49ers, turning things around and making the unit a large part of the team’s success in 2025. You knew things were different when Jake Moody was waived after Week 1, and the improvement, while slow, is noticeable. Moore, in particular, has given the 49ers efficiency at returner not seen since Ted Ginn Jr. The 49ers’ special teams is now a weapon. A description Shanahan agrees with.
“Yeah, definitely,” Shanahan said, “I think they have been a weapon, probably at least this last month.”
But there’s an issue for this developing unit’s future: Moore is set to hit free agency in 2026. While the 49ers made a smart trade for their current returner, a sixth-round pick and a swap of sevenths with the Kansas City Chiefs, Moore could be a coveted free agent due to his return skills. His estimated $1.5 million salary will most likely not be that low in 2026.
It will be a tough decision to retain Moore as a return specialist, but the question is, “What is the alternative?” 49ers fans know that answer, looking back to the seasons with Kyle Shanahan. Ray-Ray McCloud was decent, but didn’t offer the production Moore has. Names like Dante Pettis, Richie James, and (ugh) Ronnie Bell may come to mind.
With special teams becoming a weapon thanks to Boyer’s work, letting Moore walk could undermine the 49ers’ efforts to make this unit a strength rather than a liability. Then it’s back to hoping they find someone fast who can protect the ball.
We know how iffy that is.
About the Author: Insidethe49
