Robbie Gould may be interested in coming home, but the San Fransisco 49ers may franchise tag him
We all know the Chicago Bears history with kickers since they moved on from Robbie Gould. We also know that Gould has been nothing but consistent since leaving Chicago. With Gould entering free agency, and Cody Parkey plotting his exit, there is definitely smoke of some sort here for the Bears to find an upgrade at kicker.
A lot of waves have come across Chicago as Robbie Gould spoke about his free agency today. Here is his quote.
Robbie Gould: "[Free agency] is really out of my control at this point. ... We'll definitely consider all opportunities."
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) February 17, 2019
Robbie Gould said his free agency decision will prioritize his family, long-term stability and finding a winning team.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) February 17, 2019
Everyone is going to jump and run on the second tweet. It wants to prioritize his family. They live in Chicago. Long-term stability and winning have turned around in the past year as well.
A lot of Chicago fans are going to get fired up at this point.
However the catch is the first tweet. It is not in his control when it comes to the idea that the San Fransisco 49ers have discussed franchise tagging Robbie Gould.
In fact, Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports in San Fransisco went as far to say that “Robbie Gould will be back in San Fransisco one way or the other.” The link is in the tweet right there he says it at the 22:30 mark mentioned.
Here’s what I said on whether the #49ers will or should tag Robbie Gould as their franchise player. Fast-forward to the 22:30 mark.https://t.co/C9grfwc6o0
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) February 13, 2019
Why would the 49ers franchise tag a kicker?
It does not sound smart on the surface. However, the franchise tag is paying a top five salary for that position. His salary will not compare to high end players, just high end kickers. This is fair considering how valuable Gould has been.
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On top of that, the 49ers are a young team with cap space. They already let go of a few players, and they can afford the extra million or so to make sure they have a strong kicker. I mean, there is a direct NFC competition just begging for them to let him go, why wouldn’t they?
It seems as though Chicago Bears are going to continue to dream of Robbie Gould, while San Fransisco controls his rights for one more season.
If they do not tag him, it sounds as though Gould is an option. It could be that simple.