The post to start this morning off was going to be about the looming 1:00 p.m. deadline for Robbie Gould and the San Francisco 49ers to get a long-term deal ironed out. Instead, Adam Schefter reports that the 49ers have worked out an extension with Gould.
Per Schefter, the agreement is a two-year, $10.5 million deal that is fully guaranteed. There is also an option clause that could turn this into 4-year, $19 million deal with $15 million guaranteed.
This makes Gould, the NFL’s most accurate kicker in 2018 with a 97.1 field goal percentage, the second-highest paid kicker in the league. Had he played on the franchise tag, Gould would have been making somewhere in the realm of $5 million for one year. If he plays the entirety of his four-year deal, he averages $4.75 million.
Details of the option and whether the decision to continue rides on Gould or the 49ers is not known at this time.
The entire weekend was a mess with details concerning Gould. On Friday, he said he didn’t know if he’d even play out the franchise tag with the 49ers. There were several reports in the offseason that Gould wanted to be closer to his family in Chicago. Given that the Chicago Bears were having their own kicker problems, it led to speculation he would return to them. Gould did in fact say he wanted to be close to his family but also said he wasn’t necessarily looking at the Bears.
This doesn’t seem to be one of those team-friendly deals we’ve been used to seeing from the 49ers in the past. Gould got paid and won’t be going anywhere for quite awhile. The deadline to work out a deal on franchised players was 1:00 p.m. Monday, and this was done to start the morning. To say it was cutting things close was an understatement
This also does not bode well for Jon Brown, the other kicker the 49ers have on the roster. Had Gould sat out the deal, the 49ers would have brought in a veteran to compete, but I’d guess the 49ers may have given Brown a fair shake at the job given his age.
Regardless, the 49ers have their kicker and Gould has his long-term deal. The most accurate kicker in 2018 is sticking around in the Bay. The 49ers have one piece they can always rely on.