Veteran kicker Robbie Gould said last month that he is nowhere near retiring despite recently turning 40 and having 18 seasons in NFL under his belt. But this doesn’t mean Gould will continue kicking for the San Francisco 49ers.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Gould told the 49ers that he would explore his options in free agency this offseason and plans to kick for a new team in the 2023 season.
Gould spent the previous six years with the 49ers and has been most dependable when called upon. He was good on 27 field goals out of 31 attempted while drilling all but one of his 51 PATs in 2022.
The veteran’s decision to leave San Francisco isn’t all that surprising, considering he already requested a trade back in 2019. The 49ers declined his request at the time, instead giving him a contract extension to keep him around for four more seasons.
Gould will most likely attract much interest from teams looking to upgrade their kicking game. He has converted 86.5% of his career field goals and has made 620 extra points out of 636 attempts.
The 49ers will now have to add a kicker position to their off-season needs. The franchise will most likely opt to get a veteran in the building while also signing a rookie to their practice squad as an insurance policy.
