After a two-game run as their kicker, the 49ers announced that they have released Matt Gay from their practice squad. The team also parted with taxi squad quarterback Adrian Martinez.
Gay began the season with Washington, which cut him after he converted just 13 of 19 field goals in 10 games. The 31-year-old quickly caught on with the 49ers, who needed a temporary replacement for the injured Eddy Pineiro. Gay went on to perform well for San Francisco, hitting all four field goals and each of his four extra points in a pair of victories.
The 49ers will now turn back to Pineiro, who was out with a hamstring strain. Pineiro opened 2025 without a team, but the 49ers scooped him up after Jake Moody went 1 for 3 on field goals in a Week 1 win over the Seahawks. The 49ers cut Moody for Pineiro, which has worked out well for the club.
While Pineiro has only connected on 18 of 22 extra points this season, he has converted all 22 of his field goals. That includes six from 50-plus yards. If Pineiro keeps that up, it could help the 49ers (9-4) chase down the 10-3 Rams and Seahawks in the ultra-competitive NFC West.
Martinez, a 2023 undrafted free agent from Kansas State, appeared in one of the 49ers’ games this season. They had a greater need for Martinez, who briefly spent time on the active roster, when starter Brock Purdy was on the shelf for several weeks with a toe injury. Purdy returned in Week 11, Mac Jones remains in the fold as the backup, and the 49ers opened rookie seventh-round signal-caller Kurtis Rourke‘s practice window on Monday. They’re now the only QBs left in the organization.
With Gay and Martinez on their way out, the 49ers signed wide receiver Javon Baker to their practice squad. The Patriots used a fourth-rounder on Baker in 2024, but he caught just one pass in 11 games as a rookie. The former Alabama and UCF wideout didn’t make the Patriots’ roster out of camp this year. He briefly caught on with the Eagles’ practice squad, but they released him in mid-October.