It does not appear that the San Francisco 49ers are bringing back their returners from 2025. Once Skyy Moore was brought into the fold and the team realized Isaac Guerendo wasn’t the answer, Brian Robinson Jr. began to return kicks.
Moore finished 15th in kickoff return average and 10th in punt return average. He had a strong stretch that helped inflate those numbers, but the final month of the season and the playoffs left enough to be desired.
Moore is in Green Bay. Robinson Jr. remains available.
Neither did enough to warrant another contract. Perhaps a better way to phrase that is neither did enough on offense and special teams to re-sign. So, what direction will the 49ers look in 2026?
Ricky Pearsall, Jacob Cowing, Jordan Watkins, and Junior Bergen all have history returning. Christian Kirk has returner experience, but he hasn’t had double-digit returns since his rookie contract back in 2020.
Pearsall had three punt returns as a rookie, but most of his experience dates back to college. The same is true for the rest of the wide receiver room. Pearsall’s involvement in the offense probably eliminates him from contention.
Cowing is the wild card. He was the Niners’ returner as a rookie. He fielded 28 punts with an average of 8.8. Looking at the options, Cowing is the early leader in the clubhouse.
Watkins turned punts during his junior and senior years, but not his final redshirt senior season at Ole Miss. Bergen was a big-time returner in college, but he falls into a similar category as Moore, where he’d need to bring something to the table offensively to make the roster.
If Guerendo is on the team, he’s slotting in at the second returner on kickoffs. In a pinch, Patrick Taylor can be the kickoff returner, too.
The team could also add a rookie to this mix. As it stands, I’d guess Cowing and another running back are the kickoff returners, with Cowing locking down the punt returner gig.
Who do you like to return punts and kicks for the 49ers in 2026?
