Gould didn’t get Chicago, but he got the next-best thing with 49ers
Robbie Gould didn’t get his wish to play closer to his family in Chicago, but the 49ers were still able to satisfy their kicker in the form of a whopping, new contract that put an end to what he called a “weird offseason.”
Gould, who league sources said signed a two-year, $10.5 fully guaranteed deal that may turn out to be a four-year, $19 million contract months after demanding a trade, said he’s relieved to have the drama behind him.
“The big thing for me is that I wanted to be close to my family, and in the beginning in the entire conversation with the 49ers they knew it would have to take at least two years to fully guaranteed in a contract to get me to come back and they were able to make that happen,” Gould said on Adam Schefter’s ESPN podcast.
The 36-year-old Gould was more than appreciative that the 49ers were aggressive in making sure a deal got done and said he can’t wait to get back with the team.
“Who knows what would have happened if something didn’t get done, but the 49ers stepped up big-time to get this done,” he said. “And they stepped outside the box and had an open mind and we were able to get something done (Monday), which is kind of nice.
“I know it’s been a crazy 17 months,” Gould said. “There’s been a lot that’s happened, there’s been a lot that’s been said and done on both ends but I’m glad it’s done, I’m glad we can put this behind us and I’m excited to play football and go win a championship.”
Gould has been one of the real bright spots on a 49ers team that’s won just 10 games the past two seasons. He made 72 of his 75 field-goal attempts and he remains the secondmost accurate kicker in NFL history _ he’s made 87.7% of his kicks, trailing only Ravens kicker Justin Tucker’s 90.1 percent.
Knowing he’ll kick with the 49ers for at least the next two years, along with the financial stability Gould gained in the deal, will make it easier for his family to move to the Bay Area after next season. His new contract, which came before Monday’s 1 p.m. (PT) deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term contracts, still came too late for his wife and three children to make the Bay Area home this season.