Brant Boyer enters his 15th season as an NFL coach and his second as special teams coordinator for the 49ers. He joined the 49ers after spending nine seasons as the special teams coordinator for the New York Jets.
Throughout his first season with the 49ers in 2025, Boyer led a turnaround for the special teams unit. The team improved in multiple categories and ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in field goal percentage (91.7% – seventh), yards per kick return (27.2 – seventh) and yards per punt return (11.6 – 10th). He helped guide K Eddy Piñeiro to a career year, as he converted on 28 of his 29 field goal attempts (96.6%) and 34 of his 38 extra point attempts (89.5%). Piñeiro shared the lead for the highest field goal percentage in the NFL (minimum 25 attempts) and finished with the second-highest field goal percentage in a single season in franchise history. He made each of his first 26 field goal attempts, which marked the longest streak by any kicker to begin their first season with the 49ers. Boyer also vaulted San Francisco's return unit into one of the best in the NFL with WR Skyy Moore. Under his guidance, Moore registered 1,050 kick return yards, the seventh-most in the NFL, and averaged 26.9 yards per kickoff return, ranking fifth in the NFL. Moore also ranked in the top five in punt return yards (417 – fourth) and average yards per punt return (12.3 – fifth). In addition to Piñeiro and Moore's success, Boyer also guided LB Luke Gifford and LS Jon Weeks to selections to the 2026 Pro Bowl. Gifford earned the honor after finishing the season with 21 special teams tackles, tied for the ninth-most in the NFL.
During his Jets tenure (2016-24), Boyer led a special teams unit that ranked tied-for-second in total touchdowns (nine), second in blocked punts (eight) and tied-for-fifth in special teams points scored (63) and opponent kickoff return average (21.8). Under Boyer's guidance, two players (WR Braxton Berrios - 2021 & WR Andre Roberts - 2018) earned Associated Press First-Team All-Pro honors as returners, while three players (CB Justin Hardee - 2023, Roberts - 2019 and K Jason Myers - 2019) made Pro Bowl appearances. In 2024, Boyer led a special teams unit that ranked fourth in yards per kickoff return (30.3) and seventh in opponent yards per kickoff return (26.1). Under Boyer's guidance, WR Xavier Gipson registered 266 total punt return yards and 489 kickoff return yards, ranking seventh and eighth, respectively, in the NFL.
In 2023, Boyer's units finished in the top 10 in the NFL in multiple categories, including top five marks in opponent yards per kickoff return (15.4 – first), punts placed inside-the-10 (17 – first), punts placed inside-the-20 (36 – tied for second), punts blocked (one – tied for third) and special teams touchdowns (one – tied for third). Boyer's kickoff coverage unit held opponents to an NFL-low 123 kickoff return yards that season, which marked the second-fewest total kickoff return yards allowed by a team in a single season since at least 1970. The Jets also finished eighth in field goal percentage (92.3%), as K Greg Zuerlein converted on 35 of his 38 field goal attempts. Zuerlein's 35 made field goals were tied for the second-most in the NFL that season. Boyer also guided P Thomas Morstead to setting the Jets single-season franchise records in punting average (48.8) and average net yards per punt (41.8).
The 2022 Jets special teams units averaged 11.4 yards per punt return, ranking fourth in the NFL, and held its opponents to 20.9 yards per kickoff return, which was tied for the fifth-fewest in the NFL that season. Boyer also led the only unit to register three blocked kicks and a successful onside kick, making them one of 17 teams in the NFL to accomplish the feat since at least 2000. Under Boyer's tutelage, Justin Hardee earned the first Pro Bowl selection of his career after registering a career-high 14 special teams tackles. Boyer also saw Zuerlein convert on a 60-yard field goal attempt, the longest made field goal in franchise history, which made him one of five kickers in the NFL to convert a field goal of 60-or-more yards that season.
