49ers franchise Robbie Gould; time for plan B
The Chicago Bears will bring in a new kicker, and it will not be a familiar face
When Cody Parkey missed his last field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles fans immediately clamored for the return of Robbie Gould. Gould was set to be a free agent, and still has strong ties to the organization. Could it be a chance for Gould to come home and show his old team that he never should have been let go?
While Gould himself hinted at it, all rumors were put to wash with the news that the 49ers will franchise tag Gould.
This was somewhat expected but became official today.
Game of tag officially underway: 49ers placed their franchise tag on kicker Robbie Gould today, per league sources. SF is first team this off-season to use its franchise tag.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 26, 2019
It is rare to see a team franchise a kicker but it was also pretty clear the team was going to lose Gould to Chicago if they did not.
The 49ers have heaps of cap space and while the franchise tag is top five player money, that comes at the position. Is Gould worth top five kicker money? Yes. The Chicago Bears would have gave him that as well.
What this means for the Bears is that it is time to move on to plan B. If the 49ers let Gould walk it would have been a great fit. Still, the Bears brought in a few options before letting Gould go, and that will not be the end of the list.
The Bears cannot miss on a kicker as they have gone through five since letting Gould walk. They overspent on Parkey to no avail but may have to spend again in the form of dollars or even a draft pick. Stay tuned, but those Robbie Gould dreams are gone.