New 49ers kicker Wright was preparing for the Hurricanes when the team called

SANTA CLARA – Matthew Wright was in Tampa, Fla., on Monday trying to pack as much of his belongings as possible in preparation for Hurricane Milton when his agent called with a job offer.

Amid the frenzy, Wright was told the 49ers had an opening on their roster because of kicker Jack Moody's high ankle sprain that will likely sideline him for at least a month and land him on injured reserve.

Before jumping on a plane for the West Coast, Wright managed to get many of his belongings together and put them away from trouble. He also managed to get his wife out of harm's way before the hurricane – upgraded to a Category 5 storm – made landfall Wednesday night.

“My house was actually going to get hit by a hurricane so I was packing,” Wright said Tuesday. “We are fine. My wife left. It's all good.”

The 49ers officially signed Wright on Tuesday, two days before a primetime showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.

This isn't the first time the 49ers have looked to Wright as a possible fill-in for Moody, who was in San Francisco for a week in 2023 when Shanahan and his coaching staff weren't sure if Moody — injured at the time — would be available to kick.

Before the rush to pack up and run, and before the phone call from his agent, Wright was going through the same daily routine since he was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers at the end of training camp.

Three times a week Wright would go into his backyard and begin a daily kicking routine, following roughly the same schedule as when he was on a team.

“That's mostly what I'm doing, try to act every week — even if I'm not on a team — like I'm on a team,” Wright said. “Preparing my kick count, what I'm doing mentally is doing a mock game-day myself.”

Wright is definitely on a lot of teams.

After initially signing with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2019, Wright spent 2021 with Jacksonville then earned a Super Bowl ring in 2022 when he enrolled in Kansas City. He was with the Carolina Panthers in 2023 and spent training camp in Pittsburgh this season.

Along the way, Wright made quite a name for himself. He has converted 40 of 47 attempts in 24 games in his career.

For now, he will fill in for the 49ers while Moody recovers from his injured ankle. Moody wore a walking boot and used crutches as he walked through the team locker room at Levi's Stadium on Tuesday.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said injuries like Moody's typically require a month or more of rehab and didn't rule out putting the second-year kicker on IR if the situation prolonged or worsened.

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