Kyle Shanahan Explains Why the 49ers Released Mitch Wishnowsky

We knew the 49ers would overhaul their special teams this offseason. That was clear when they fired special teams coordinator Brian Schneider and hired Brant Boyer from the Jets to replace him.

We did not know that the 49ers would bring three more Jets special teamers with him including a 39-year-old long snapper (Jon Weeks) and a 39-year-old punter (Thomas Morstead).

The punter is particularly interesting. He replaces Mitch Wishnowsky, whom the 49ers released on Wednesday. Wishnowsky is 33 and was the 49ers' fourth-round pick in 2019. They even gave him a four-year extension in 2022.

On Thursday, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked why the 49ers felt the need to replace Wishnowsky.

"I love Mitch," Shanahan said. "He's one of my favorite guys I've been around, especially from a special team standpoint and punter standpoint. He's such a football player in how he plays. The guys love him. But when you just look into contract situations, how last year went and things, the fact that Thomas Morstead became available, Brant being so familiar with him and having that relationship it ended up making it a decision that wasn't easy but we felt all confident it was best for our team.”

But what about Wishnowsky's back injury that kept him out of eight games last season? Did that factor into his release?

“He is healthy," Shanahan said. "So, he's going to go to a team and help a team out a lot. But those are things you’ve always got to predict. You don't know how those things go and you’ve got to take the risk-reward and something that to me wasn't a big risk or worth the risk until someone like Morstead becomes available. And that put us on where we needed to make a decision.”

It sounds like the 49ers replaced Wishnowsky with Morstead because Morstead is cheaper and knows the current special teams coordinator.

Whether Morstead actually is an upgrade remains to be seen.