S.F. likely to put franchise tag on kicker
More than two years after Robbie Gould was released by Chicago, it sure sounds like the 49ers’ kicker wants to be reunited.
When the Bears ended their 11-season relationship with Gould in September 2016, the franchise’s career scoring leader penned a letter to the “greatest fans in the NFL” that ended with this: “Once a Bear, always a Bear.”
Twenty-nine months later, Gould appeared on 670 The Score in Chicago on Sunday, and his 22-minute interview ended with him saying this: “Once a Bear, always a Bear.”
Gould’s wife, who is from suburban Chicago, and his three young sons have stayed in Chicago during Gould’s two seasons in Santa Clara. He is building a home outside the city he has called home since 2005, and he wants his kids to grow up as Chicago sports fans.
As it happens, the local football team hasn’t adequately replaced Gould. In fact, the Bears’ 2018 season ended when Cody Parkey capped an erratic debut season in Chicago by missing a 43-yard fieldgoal try with five seconds left in a 16-15 wild-card playoff loss to Philadelphia.
This all leads to a pertinent question for the 49ers as it pertains to their near-automatic kicker: Will Gould, 36, scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, be a Bear again when free agency opens March 13?
“The thing for me is it’s going to be the best place to
win (and) the best place for my family,” Gould said, “and obviously that opportunity will come up and we’ll make those decisions.”
But here’s the thing: It might not be Gould’s decision to make.
NFL teams can begin applying the franchise tag to one player on their roster Tuesday, and Gould is the 49ers’ only logical candidate to receive the designation (the franchise-tag period ends March 5). The one-year franchise tag will be about $5 million for kickers. If it’s applied, Gould could be the NFL’s highest-paid kicker in 2019, but the second-mostaccurate kicker in NFL history has earned a significant raise after signing a two-year, $4 million deal in 2017.
With the 49ers, Gould has made 72 of 75 field-goal attempts, which is the most accurate two-season stretch in NFL history among kickers with at least 50 attempts.
Last year, Gould led the NFL in field-goal percentage (97.1). Parkey ranked 30th (76.7) and missed as many regular-season kicks (seven) in 30 attempts as Gould has missed in his past 105 tries dating to 2015.
However, Parkey has $3.5 million in guaranteed money in 2019, and he would count $5 million in dead cap space if released. The Bears are projected to have about $20 million in cap space.
“Cody’s obviously the kicker for the Chicago Bears,” Gould said on The Score. “They have a lot of things they would have to do in order for it to work. And those are all things that you never know what’s going to happen, right?
“We’re all ears if we get to (free agency) and we’ll take it in stride. We’d definitely consider all opportunities when we get to that free-agent part, for sure.”
Gould said Sunday that he’s seeking at least a threeyear contract. Given his family considerations and desire to “give myself a chance to win a Super Bowl,” he likely wouldn’t welcome the oneyear franchise tag from the 49ers, who went 4-12 in 2018.
The 49ers, who are projected to have more than $60 million in cap space, can sign Gould to a contract extension. Last month, however, general manager John Lynch said such a deal wasn’t imminent.
“We’re hopeful to work things out with Robbie,” Lynch said. “And he’s kicked unbelievably for us. He’s been incredibly clutch for us. And we’d like to reward him for that.”
The franchise tag can strain relationships between teams and players, who often are seeking more long-term security. Still, it would be surprising if the 49ers didn’t apply the tag to Gould because they don’t fit his criteria.
It’s possible the 49ers could part with Gould and explore free-agent options that could include New England’s Stephen Gostkowski, Minnesota’s Dan Bailey and longtime Falcon Matt Bryant, all of whom rank in the top 10 in career field-goal percentage. Bryant, who recently was released by Atlanta, played for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan with the Falcons, but will be 44 in May. Bailey, 31, is coming off a disappointing debut with the Vikings after the Cowboys released him before the 2018 season.
For his part, Gould often sounded Sunday as if he was destined to reach free agency.
“I’ve made calculated decisions my whole career,” he said, “and I’m going to do the same thing whenever this decision that we have to make comes up.”
Will it really be Gould’s decision to make? It could be wishful thinking, or perhaps Gould knows something about the 49ers’ franchise-tag intentions.
This can be said with certainty: When it comes to his future, we’ll soon see if one of the most trustworthy kickers in NFL history is accurate again.