The San Francisco 49ers must fill three vacant coaching positions before the 2025 NFL Season. After the team completes the NFL-mandated interview process, Klay Kubiak expects a promotion to Offensive Coordinator. Meanwhile, former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has already been offered the Defensive Coordinator job, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson. That leaves Special Teams Coordinator as the only vacated coaching position with no notable target after firing Brian Schneider.
However, that may have changed on Sunday night.
As the NFL Wild Card round was in full swing, the 49ers announced it had completed an interview with Detroit Lions’ assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins.
Who is Jett Modkins?
Jett Modkins, son of former 49ers offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins, was hired in 2021 and is now in his fourth season as a member of the Lions’ coaching staff.
With the Lions, Modkins has helped establish the league’s best special teams unit. In 2024, the Lions’ special teams unit ranks first in DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average). They also rank fourth with a 88.9 PFF grade and fifth with a 27.3 EPA (Expected Points Added)
Part of Jett Modkins’ responsibilities with the Lions’ special teams include working with second-team All-Pro return specialist Kalif Raymond — a potential good sign for 2024 fourth-round pick and 49ers’ primary punt returner Jacob Cowing.
49ers Desperate for Special Teams Improvement
The San Francisco 49ers’ special teams unit was horrible this season and, in some metrics, the worst in the NFL. According to EPA, the 49ers lost a league-worst 64 points.
If looking at DVOA, San Francisco’s special teams ranked 31st. Again, terrible.
Jake Moody, the current highest-drafted kicker in the league, finished 2024 with a 70.6 field goal percentage. That number is good for the second-worst in football among kickers with 23 attempts or more, per Pro Football Focus.
On kick 40 yards or further, Moody hit just 10 of his 20 attempts. His 50 percent rate was the worst among all kickers.
The 49ers were also one of seven teams to allow a kickoff to result in a touchdown this season.
When it comes to punt coverage, the 49ers did not fare much better. The team’s 261 punt return yards allowed ranked 11th in the league. In snaps split between Mitch Wishnowsky and Pat O’Donnell, the 49ers ranked dead last with 39 net yards per punt. They also only pinned 20 punts inside the 20-yard line, ranking 29th.
San Francisco’s special teams may not have allowed a punt return for a touchdown this season, but they did get a punt blocked.
Many of the 49ers’ mishaps in 2024 can be traced back to poor special team play.
In the Week 2 loss vs. Vikings, a blocked punt led to a Minnesota field goal. The 49ers lost the game 23-17. Up 24-17 against the Rams in Week 3, Jake Moody missed a field goal. Two drives later, the 49ers allowed a 38-yard punt return by Xavier Smith to set up a Los Angeles’ game-winning field goal.
Even in a Week 10 win against the Buccaneers, Moody missed three field goals, forcing the offense to complete a game-winning drive with 41 seconds left.
If it is not obvious, the 49ers need fresh blood on special teams. Hence, the Jett Modkins interview.
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