Skyy Moore
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Skyy Moore of the San Francisco 49ers has become an elite return specialist. Can the Niners re-sign him in 2026?
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he NFL offseason is in full swing and already, free agency is heating up. Several players have announced deals with new teams, giving franchises new pieces in their quest for a Super Bowl. Each and every season, teams see key players depart for new teams– with the salary cap making it impossible to keep everybody. For the San Francisco 49ers, a disappointing end to a 12-5 season in 2025 will force the team to make several major decisions surrounding the roster for ’26.
And already, the 49ers will enter next season missing some very important pieces from last year– most notably at special teams. Struggling in that department for years, the 49ers finally found success on special teams in 2025, bringing in former Kansas City Chiefs standout, Skyy Moore, to serve as their return specialist. A strong season in San Francisco did not go unnoticed, as the 49ers are losing Moore to the Green Bay Packers.
Moore Signs with the Packers
Moore, primarily a wide receiver, joined the 49ers in a trade ahead of the start of the ’25 regular season and was expected to serve as a depth piece at receiver. But with the 49ers lacking a true return specialist, Moore stepped into that role and put together a dominant campaign– returning 58 punts/kicks for 1,198 yards with a long of 98 yards. A good return specialist is key for any team, but Moore was going to be expensive to keep and the 49ers have other needs to fill, allowing the Packers to sign Moore to a one-year deal on Tuesday, March 10 ahead of the official start of free agency.
“The Packers needed a return specialist after ranking last in the NFL in punt return average (5.6 yards) and tied for 22nd in kickoff return average (25.2) this past season,” ESPN’s Nick Wagoner wrote. “Romeo Doubs, who agreed on Tuesday to a deal with the New England Patriots, and Matthew Golden served as the Packers’ primary punt returners in 2025.”
Moore was key in giving the 49ers’ offense good field positioning and with a team like the Packers that came up well short of expectations last, Moore fits in very nicely and will play a big role on the special teams this coming season.
Moore’s Career So Far
A star at Western Michigan, earning first-team All-MAC honors in 2019 and ’21 and a second-team selection in 2020, Moore went to the Chiefs in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Spending three seasons with the Chiefs, and winning two Super Bowls, Moore never established himself into a true star there, recording only 494 receiving yards and one touchdown in 30 games played for the Chiefs before the 49ers acquired him in a trade for a sixth round draft pick.
Now an established return specialist, Moore will use his one-year pact with the Packers as a prove it deal, hoping to continue his dominant play and earn a more sizable payday down the line.