Pro Football Rumors
Jack Bouwmeester was originally set to join the 49ers as an undrafted free agent this spring. His arrival with the team has been delayed, but it is now official.
The former Texas punter is on the books, per a team announcement. Bouwmeester is Australian, and the gap between his decision to join San Francisco and today’s news was caused by a delay in processing his work visa. That issue has now been solved in time for training camo.
Through OTAs and minicamp, Corliss Waitman operated as the 49ers’ only punter. The free agent signing will now have competition as San Francisco originally hoped, however. Waitman spent the past two seasons in Pittsburgh, but he was not retained for the 2026 campaign. A veteran of 52 NFL games, the soon-to-be 31-year-old will certainly enter training camp in pole position for the full-time punting gig.
Since he is attached to a deal containing only $450K in guarantees, though, Waitman is far from a lock to survive roster cuts at the end of the summer. His showings in camp and the preseason – along with those of Bouwmeester – will make for a notable team storyline as a result. Across a college career which also included time at Michigan State and Utah, Bouwmeester totaled 53 appearances. His best season in terms of yards per punt average (45.5) came in 2023, although the past two seasons saw him deliver a similar performance on that front.
The 49ers entered Saturday leading the league in cap space with over $71MM available. This Bouwmeester signing will obviously not impact any other roster moves which are being planned for the time leading up to training camp. It has nevertheless confirmed that a punter competition will be in store this summer.
