The 49ers cut kicker Billy Cundiff on Friday less than three weeks after signing him. (Larry French/Getty Images)

Less than three weeks after signing kicker Billy Cundiff to compete with struggling starter David Akers, the San Francisco 49ers cut the eight-year veteran on Friday, reports CBSSports.com.

The 49ers signed Cundiff on Jan. 2 because Akers had started to struggle towards the end of the season. Akers ended up hitting 29 of his 42 field goal attempts this season, including successfully making six of his final 10 to end the regular season. That had head coach Jim Harbaugh bring in Cundiff to compete with Akers.

Cundiff did not play in the team’s 45-31 playoff win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Playoff last weekend. Akers made one field goal from 36-yards and all six of his extra points. The team has not filled the vacancy on their 53-man roster yet.

The Redskins signed “talented but unproven” kicker Kai Forbath, according to a source, reports CSN Washington’s Tarik El-Bashir. Former kicker, Billy Cundiff missed four of his last five field goal attempts, including a 31-yard attempt in Sunday’s 24-17 loss to the Falcons. Cundiff had joined the Redskins this season after two-plus seasons in Baltimore.

Forbath, 24, was signed by the Cowboys last year and stayed on the team’s reserve non-football injury list. He was with the Bucs during the preseason and has yet to kick a field goal in the NFL. Forbath won the Lou Groza Award for the best college football kicker in 2009 and was an All American at UCLA. He tweeted on Tuesday morning:

Couldn't be more excited to join Redskins nation! #HTTR—
Kai Forbath (@KaiForbath) October 09, 2012

The Washington Redskins will sign kicker Billy Cundiff, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter.

Redskins making another change at kicker: Washington is signing former Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff. From Baltimore to Washington.

—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 28, 2012

Cundiff, a Pro Bowler in 2010, hit 28 of 37 field goal attempts last season with the Ravens, including 27 of 31 from less than 50 yards. Baltimore released Cundiff on Sunday.

The Redskins had apparently settled on Graham Gano as their kicker after releasing veteran Neil Rackers on Monday. But now Gano will also be released, according to reports.

It could have been the Baltimore Ravens representing the AFC in Super Bowl XLVI last week, and not the New England Patriots — if not for a shanked field-goal attempt off the foot of Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff in the final seconds of the AFC title game.

Cundiff walked away expecting abuse for his crucial mistake — but he told the Associated Press today that he’s actually been pleasantly surprised with the support he’s gotten from his Ravens teammates.

“It’s been impressive. I expected a lot more backlash,” Cundiff said. “I had a lot of guys that kept telling me, ‘Look, I’ve made mistakes.’ Obviously, everyone sees my mistakes. That’s just the way it goes.”

Cundiff, a 10-year NFL veteran who earned his first Pro Bowl selection 2010, missed a 32-yarder that would have tied the AFC Championship Game, 23-23, in the final seconds. It was only his 10th miss all year — Cundiff went 28-of-37 during the regular season.

“They knew if I had that same situation to play over again, I’d probably make it 99 times out of 100,” he said. “It was a really strange situation. The team understood the context of it all. So they knew going forward that they don’t have to worry about me, because they know what I’ve been through.”

Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff, who Sunday afternoon missed a potential game-tying 31 yard field goal in the last minute of the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots, told reporters that he felt he had let his teammates down, especially Ray Lewis.

“There was a lot of encouragement,” Cundiff said, according to the Boston Herald. “I feel like this team is a team that – when you first arrive, it’s a tough group to get into because obviously you have to earn respect. And to earn respect on this team, you play well. I felt like up to this point, I really have given these guys a lot of reason to believe in me and that things would come through. So, I think if anything, the disappointment is letting my teammates down. This is a team game. You know that Ray (Lewis) has poured his heart out, and he’s had a long career, and you don’t know how many years he has left, and to let him down is pretty tough.”

During the regular season, Cundiff made 10 of 12 kicks from a similar distance.  In the same drive before Cundiff missed the game-tying 31 yard field goal, wide receiver Lee Evans dropped what could have been a game-winning touchdown.

Before the heartbreaking AFC Championship loss to the Patriots, the Ravens finished the regular season at 12-4, earning them a playoff berth for their fourth consecutive time. Ray Lewis announced following yesterday’s loss that he will postpone his retirement once again and remain on the team next year.