The 49ers were the first team to use their 2019 franchise tag, which they applied to kicker Robbie Gould in late February. The most ideal scenario, from the 49ers’ perspective, has been to reach a contract extension with Gould, but those talks have reportedly reached an impasse.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that Gould has requested to be traded.
In a turn of events, 49ers’ franchise kicker Robbie Gould has pulled his contract proposals that he sent to San Francisco and told the team he will not negotiate or sign a long-term deal with them, and he would like to be traded, Gould said Tuesday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019
From Schefter’s story: “The bottom line is, I’m unsure if I want to play there anymore,” Gould said. “At this point, I have to do what’s best for me and my family back home.”
Gould has not yet signed his franchise tender, but the 49ers brass has expected for him to be present when mandatory activities begin ahead of the 2019 season.
On Monday, 49ers general manager John Lynch confidently spoke about Gould returning to the team.
“I think there’s a few things that make me feel really good,” Lynch said. “First of all, Robbie is extremely good at what he does, and I think the last couple of years have been indicative of that. Robbie’s a guy who works extremely hard at his craft. By virtue of that position, he can do that wherever he is. He can do it in Santa Clara, he can do it in Chicago, he can do it wherever he is and I’m sure Robbie’s doing that.
“Robbie’s going to be a part of us this coming year, I know that. We would like it to be longer than that. We’ve made an attempt to make that happen. We haven’t come to an agreement as of yet and we’ll see where that goes, but Robbie will be a part of us this coming year. We’re excited for that because he’s very good at what he does and he’s also a big part of this team.”
This, of course, contradicts what is stated in Schefter’s story. Gould told ESPN that “if he reports at all, it will not be before the 49ers’ Sept. 8 regular-season opener, making him a summer-long franchise holdout.”
The 49ers have at least acknowledged that Gould may not be part of the short or long-term plans. Last month, they expressed interest in longtime New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski. Later that week, the Patriots re-signed him to a two-year deal.
“The thinking was we’ve got to do our due diligence in terms of being prepared for all scenarios,” Lynch said Monday. “Stephen was a free agent and also very good. Our number one priority in that respect was to try to figure out something with Robbie. Stephen was there. I think our interest quickly got the Patriots to lock him down and that’s where he’s at so I’ll leave that at that.”
It has become clear that Gould would like to return to Chicago, where his permanent home and family resides. Last year, he lived out of a Santa Clara hotel room. Gould, the Bears’ all-time leading scorer, has spent the offseason in the city where he played 11 of his 14 NFL seasons. Last month, the Bears released the inconsistent Cody Parkey, who missed a game-winner in the NFC Divisional Round in January, making a reunion with Gould sensible.
But the 49ers have not been willing to part from all-time historic production.
Gould has been as responsible for his team’s success as a kicker can be during his two-year stretch with San Francisco. Of the 10 wins in Gould’s 49ers tenure, he kicked a game-winning field goal in three of them. He connected on 72 of 75 field goal attempts, the most accurate two-year stretch for a kicker with at least 50 attempts in NFL history.
Prior to the 2017 season, the 49ers signed Gould to a two-year, $4-million deal, evidently a major bargain. Should he sign the franchise tender, he make about $5 million in the upcoming season.