New 49ers kicker Wright was preparing for hurricane when team called originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA – Matthew Wright was in Tampa, Fla. on Monday trying to pack up as much of his belongings as he could in preparation for Hurricane Milton when his agent called with a job offer.
In the midst of the madness, Wright was told that the 49ers had an open spot on their roster because of kicker Jake Moody’s high ankle sprain that will likely sideline him for at least a month and might land him on Injured Reserve.
Before jumping on a plane for the West Coast, Wright was able to get a lot of his belongings together and moved them out of trouble. He was also able to get his wife out of harm’s way before the hurricane – upgraded to a Category 5 storm – makes landfall likely on Wednesday night.
“My house is actually about to get hit by a hurricane so I was packing,” Wright said Tuesday. “We’re good. My wife went away. It’s all good.”
The 49ers officially signed Wright on Tuesday, two days before a primetime showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.
This is not the first time that the 49ers are looking to Wright as a possible fill-in for Moody, He was with San Francisco for a week in 2023 when Shanahan and his coaching staff weren’t sure if Moody – injured at the time – would be available to kick.
Before the rush to pack up and flee, and before the phone call from his agent, Wright had been going through the same daily routine he put together for himself since getting released by the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of training camp.
Three times a week Wright would head out to his backyard and begin a daily kicking regimen, following pretty much the same schedule he had when he was on a team.
“It’s just mostly what I’ve been doing, try to treat each week – even if I’m not on a team – as if like I’m on a team,” Wright said. “Preparing my kick count, what I’m doing mentally, having a mock game-day by myself.”
Wright has been on plenty of teams, for sure.
After initially signing with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Wright spent 2021 with Jacksonville then earned a Super Bowl ring while filling in for Kansas City in 2022. He was with the Carolina Panthers in 2023 and spent training camp in Pittsburgh this season.
Along the way, Wright made a pretty good name for himself. He has converted on 40 of 47 attempts over 24 games in his career.
For now, he’ll fill in for the 49ers while Moody recovers from his injured ankle. Moody wore a walking boot and used crutches as he made his way through the team locker room at Levi’s Stadium on Tuesday.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said injuries like the one Moody has usually require a month or more of rehab and didn’t rule out placing the second-year kicker on IR if the situation lingers or gets worse.
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