The San Francisco 49ers are doing things on offense this December that the NFL has never seen before. And in the middle of that historic stretch sits one of the league’s most experienced specialists. Punter Thomas Morstead is quietly collecting game checks without needing to step onto the field. But why?
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Over their last two games, Brock Purdy and company became the first team in NFL history to score 80+ points across a two-game span without punting a single time. Their wins over the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts were surgically clean, with every offensive possession ending in points, a turnover, or the clock expiring.
There were no stalled drives either, no field-position resets, and no calls for the punter. And that’s where Morstead comes in… Or, rather, he doesn’t. The veteran has not gotten a chance to boot the football even once this month.
The last time the 39-year-old veteran saw live action was on November 30, when the 49ers beat the Cleveland Browns 26-8. That afternoon, Morstead handled five punts, totaled 178 yards, and pinned Cleveland inside the 20-yard line three times.
The performance wasn’t flashy, but it was controlled, which is exactly why San Francisco brought him in. But now, he’s been essentially unemployed on Sundays… at least in-game.
This reality came into full view during the 49ers’ blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts, when Morstead went viral for a moment that perfectly captured his inactivity and boredom. With San Francisco chewing clock and torching Indianapolis yet again, cameras caught the 39-year-old pacing the outside field, shadow-punting into thin air.
Morstead was hopping around with a practice ball as if he might be called at any second. But he never was. The moment was equal parts funny and revealing.
HILARIOUS: #49ers punter Thomas Morstead has to keep busy on the team sideline because he has not punted in the month of December.
Morstead’s last punt was on November 30th.pic.twitter.com/uriANujn51
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) December 23, 2025
But will a veteran nearing the end of his career complain about his ‘inactiveness?’ Well, we haven’t heard from Morstead yet, but from a financial point of view, he certainly should be doing fine.
The 16-year NFL veteran is playing the 2025 season on a one-year, $1.255 million contract, with $1.03 million guaranteed. Spread across the 17-game regular season, that comes out to roughly $73,800 per game.
With the 49ers going two full December games without punting, Morstead has pocketed nearly $146,000 over the past month without logging a single snap.
That might sound absurd on the surface, but it’s also the reality of specialist economics in the NFL. A player is paid to be ready, not busy. And to be clear, this isn’t a case of the 49ers abandoning the punt altogether.
Over the full season, Kyle Shanahan’s team has punted 38 times in 15 games, averaging 2.91 punts. That is quite near the league average. They rank 11th in total punts, a reflection of an offense that is efficient, not reckless.
So in many ways, December has simply been an outlier. But now, as the playoffs approach, that could change in a heartbeat.
A stalled drive, a field-position battle, or a tighter game script would put Morstead right back to work. But until then, he remains one of the most well-paid spectators in football, a Super Bowl champion veteran collecting checks while witnessing a historically unstoppable offense up close.
