Kicker Robbie Gould Stays In The Bay Area For At Least 2 More Seasons

By Jordan Long

The NFL deadline to reach a multi-year contract with franchise tagged players was yesterday at 4 p.m. Eastern Time.  If athletes didn’t reach a new deal, they would play on the franchise tag for this upcoming season.  One player who avoided the franchise tag was San Francisco 49ers’ kicker Robbie Gould.

                Gould finished his 2^nd season with the 49ers.  He has been an accurate kicker for them.  While playing in the bay area Gould is 72 of 75 making kicks or an impressive 96%. His long with the 49ers is 53 yards.  On PAT’s he is 55 of 59, a percentage of 93.2%.

                Last season the 49ers offense knew if they drove past the opponents’ 40-yardline, Gould would be able to add points to the scoreboard.  He was 33 of 34.  His only miss of the year came between 40-49 yards. Gould led the league with a 97.1% field goal percentage.  For PAT’s Gould was 27 for 29.

                Once the season was up, the 49ers placed the franchise tag on him since he was going to be an unrestricted free agent.  This was in hopes of keeping him and a chance for him to stay long-term.  Gould asked for a trade in April because an agreement with the 49ers didn’t seem like it was coming.  He wanted to go back to Chicago.  In the end the 49ers kept him.

                The contract is for 2-years and he is guaranteed $10.5 million.  There is an open clause that can make it 4-years worth $19 million, but  $15 million is guaranteed.  According to ESPN, General Manager John Lynch said, “Over the years, Robbie has established himself as one of the best at his position in the NFL, which is precisely why we were so committed to working out a new contract with him. I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make this deal come to fruition. We are very happy to start off the year on the right foot with this agreement in place so that Robbie can get back with his teammates and focus on making the most out of the upcoming season.” 

                Gould has proven he is one of the best kickers in the league.  The problem is his age.  He will turn 37 during the season, starting to be old for a kicker in the NFL.  Who knows how many years he has left but the 2-years seems fair to prove he can still add points for the 49ers. ion; \lsd