The San Francisco 49ers are expected to release kicker David Akers prior to the start of free agency, according to Adam Caplan on Twitter.
49ers expected to release David Akers
The San Francisco 49ers are expected to part ways with kicker David Akers before the start of free agency.
USA TODAY Sports
It's an unsurprising move for the team that just lost the Super Bowl, as Akers was a decidedly small contributor to the team's run at a Lombardi Trophy. Rather, he was more of a hinderance, as his 2012 season was incredibly poor.
Akers made just 69.0 percent of his field goal attempts in 2012, making just 29 of 42. This is a stark contrast to 2011, when he broke the NFL record for points by a kicker and field goals made by a kicker in a single season with 44.
Both seasons were on the extreme end of the scale. His 2011 campaign was remarkable because few expected it. After spending almost his entire career with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2010, Akers hit free agency with little hype. Nobody expected him to come in and put up those numbers. But after how poor he was in 2012, the 49ers obviously feel it's time to make a change.
Releasing Akers will also save the 49ers approximately $3.05 million in cap space in 2013. The team has plenty of draft picks, so they might be eying one of the top kickers in the 2013 NFL Draft to replace Akers. Free agency opens on March 12 at 4 p.m. ET, so Akers will likely be gone before that point.
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