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Robbie Gould

K Robbie Gould Announces Retirement

December 7th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Sam Robinson

Robbie Gould expressed interest in playing a 19th NFL season, and he auditioned for the Giants last month. The longtime Bears and 49ers kicker will instead opt to leave the game behind.

A day after his 41st birthday, Gould wrote in a Players’ Tribune post he intends to retire. Gould, who sandwiched a lone Giants season between lengthy runs in Chicago and San Francisco, will finish his career as one of the longest-tenured players in this era.

The Penn State alum kicked in 266 games; among players to make their debuts in the 21st century, that ranks ninth. Among kickers, that number ranks behind only Sebastian Janikowski. While other pre-21st-century specialists have that longevity beat, Gould proved dependable to the point he rarely ended up on the kicker workout circuit during his near-two-decade run. Overall, only 10 kickers played more games in NFL history than Gould.

Gould did bounce from the Patriots to the Ravens to the Bears in 2005, but upon signing with the Bears that October, he stayed in Chicago for 11 seasons. While the Bears cut him just before the 2016 campaign, Gould ended up with a playoff-bound Giants squad that year. The 49ers picked him up in 2017 and used him as their kicker for six seasons. Over the course of his career, Gould kicked in 16 playoff games and two Super Bowls — Super Bowl XLI with the Bears and Super Bowl LIV with the 49ers. During that Bears Super Bowl-bound 2006 season, Gould earned first-team All-Pro honors.

Not counting practice squad deals, Gould signed seven NFL contracts. Although kicker sits as one of the league’s lowest-paid positions, Gould made more than $47MM over the course of his career.

The Bears gave Gould a position-topping deal in 2008 (five years, $15.5MM) and extended him again near the end of the 2013 season. After kicking for less than $1MM with the Giants, Gould signed a $2MM-per-year deal with the 49ers. Reestablishing his value on that first San Francisco contract, Gould received the franchise tag in 2019. Just before that year’s July extension deadline, Gould and the 49ers then agreed to terms on a four-year, $19MM extension.

Although Gould demanded a trade after being tagged that year, he ended up playing a pivotal role during the team’s rise under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. After leading the NFL with a 97.1% make rate in 2018, Gould connected at on at least 84% of his kicks over the past two seasons. During the 2021 campaign, Gould made a game-winning kick that finished off a 49ers upset of the No. 1-seeded Packers on a snowy night at Lambeau Field. Gould also made a game-winner in the 2006 playoffs, eliminating the Seahawks in overtime and sending the Bears to their first NFC championship game since 1988. Gould’s 86.46% career make rate ranks ninth in NFL history. Gould finishes his career as one of the best postseason specialists in NFL history, making 29 of 29 field goal attempts and never missing an extra point.

Gould said in July he had spoken with teams and later took part in the above-referenced Giants audition in November, with the team aiming to find a Graham Gano fill-in. The 49ers had used a third-round pick on Michigan’s Jake Moody in April, ending Gould’s productive run in the Bay Area.

Giants Sign Randy Bullock, Place Graham Gano On IR; Cade York Added From Titans’ Practice Squad

November 3rd, 2023 at 10:30am CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 3: In addition to Bullock, the Giants have signed Cade York, head coach Brian Daboll announced on Friday. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan notes, the pair will have a brief competition to determine the team’s kicker in Week 9. York was drafted in the fourth round last year by the Browns, but his struggles in training camp and the preseason this summer led to Cleveland waiving him. The 22-year-old quickly joined the Titans’ practice squad, but this move to New York’s active roster will give him the opportunity to win a full-time gig in Gano’s absence.

NOVEMBER 2: Graham Gano has given the Giants some kicker stability during the 2020s, but the team will need to pivot to another option soon. Gano’s knee injury will sideline him for a while.

The recently extended kicker is set to undergo knee surgery and will land on IR, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who adds the team will replace Gano with Randy Bullock. The veteran kicker joined Mason Crosby, Robbie Gould and Matthew Wright in working out for the Giants on Thursday, per ex-Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes.

Bullock, whom ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes will initially join the Giants’ practice squad, has not kicked in a game this season. Amid a February salary purge, the Titans released Bullock. But he will bring 10 years’ experience to the Giants. Bullock, 33, kicked for the Titans for the past two seasons. While Bullock has bounced around the league, the Thursday signing will mark a reunion. During his 2010s travels, Bullock stopped through New York in 2016, kicking in one game with the Giants.

Gano signed a three-year, $16.5MM Giants extension in September; the 36-year-old specialist has been the Giants’ kicker since 2020. Gano acknowledged recently he will need surgery at some point. Rather than playing through this issue any longer, Gano will go under the knife soon.

The veteran kicker is coming off a two-miss performance in an ugly Giants loss to the Giants; the second of those misses came from 35 yards out. Gano, who also missed a 47-yarder in Week 8, could have effectively sealed a Giants win by making the shorter try late in the fourth quarter. The Jets instead rallied back to tie the game and force overtime, winning in the extra period. The former Washington and Carolina kicker had hoped to finish out the season and then undergo surgery, per Fox Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano, but the Jets outing appears to have changed plans.

On the season, Gano is just 11-for-17. The Giants guaranteed the 15th-year veteran $11.34MM at signing, providing an opportunity for the incumbent to reclaim his job once recovered. For now, Bullock will receive another chance. The former Texans fifth-round pick has kicked for six teams, also suiting up for the Bengals, Steelers and Jets during his run. The Giants stopover, which came in Week 1 of the 2016 season when Josh Brown served a one-game suspension, occurred as Bullock bounced around during the 2016 and ’17 seasons. Beyond those two slates, he served as a steady option in Houston, Cincinnati and Tennessee.

Bullock finished his two Titans seasons with 84% and 85% field goal accuracy rates. He is not necessarily known for prolific long-range success, having not made more than three 50-plus-yard field goals in a season since 2014. But the Giants preferred Bullock to Wright and the more experienced options they brought in Thursday.

49ers To Work Out Multiple Kickers

August 27th, 2023 at 11:03am CST by Rory Parks

The 49ers do not know who their placekicker will be when they open the regular season against the Steelers on September 10, as ESPN’s Nick Wagoner details. The club did not make an effort to re-sign longtime kicker Robbie Gould this offseason but did acquire veteran Zane Gonzalez via trade and selected Jake Moody in the third round of the 2023 draft (thereby making Moody just the second kicker in the past 15 years to be taken within the draft’s top 100 picks).

Unfortunately, Gonzalez and Moody have both sustained injuries that threaten their Week 1 availability. Given the draft capital the team invested into him, Moody has been viewed as the presumptive starter, and he has performed well in practice, converting most of his field goal attempts (including multiple attempts from over 60 yards). He has struggled in preseason action, however, missing two FG attempts against the Raiders — though one was a 58-yard try — and an extra point against the Broncos.

Wagoner writes that Moody left Wednesday’s practice early, and the Michigan product is considered week-to-week with a right quadriceps injury. In light of Moody’s ailment, it appeared as if Gonzalez would have a chance to make a case for himself in San Francisco’s preseason finale against the Chargers on Friday, but he suffered a strained calf that kept him out of the game. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Gonzalez’s injury will cost him multiple weeks, and given that he was facing an uphill battle to make the club anyway, it seems he is not long for the 49ers’ roster.

The Niners obviously need to make at least a short-term addition, and Shanahan said the team will work out multiple kickers this week. Gould, 40, recently said that he has spoken with several teams and is remaining patient as he looks for the right fit. It is unclear whether he would entertain a reunion with San Francisco given the presence of Moody, though Shanahan would not rule it out.

“We’re discussing everything and just being ready for any possibility to maneuver this roster however, but we really don’t know what direction we’re gonna go until time takes care of that,” Shanahan said.

K Robbie Gould Has Talked With Teams, Intends To Keep Playing

July 15th, 2023 at 11:20am CST by Ben Levine

Robbie Gould‘s stint with the 49ers came to an unceremonious end this offseason, but the veteran kicker is still open to work. The 40-year-old free agent told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that he’s talked with several teams and is remaining patient as he awaits his next gig.

“I know training camp is coming up and I’m ready for the next opportunity,” Gould said. “And I’m sure these teams will give these young kids a chance and find out who has a chance to compete. I think things will get a lot more serious. But, yeah, I’m ready to go and looking forward to the next season.”

Despite being one of the oldest active players in the NFL last season, Gould still showed that he’s got plenty left in the tank. He got into all 17 games for the 49ers, connecting on 84.4 percent of his field goal attempts and 50 of his 51 extra point tries. He was also perfect in the playoffs, connecting on all eight of his field goal attempts and all five of his XP tries.

While Gould was a productive option for the 49ers in 2022, the kicker announced after the season that his tenure with the organization had ended and he’d be seeking a new landing spot this offseason. According to the veteran, the change wasn’t his decision.

“I would’ve loved to have gone back there,” Gould said. “I told them I wanted to go back there. We never got an offer from the team and we never had a conversation about coming back.”

The 49ers made it clear that they were pivoting towards the future during the draft. The organization first selected Michigan’s Jake Moody in the third round, making him only the second kicker (along with Roberto Aguayo) in the past 15 years to be selected in the top-100. The organization also pulled off an offseason trade for Zane Gonzalez, setting up a competition at the position.

As a result, there would have been little room for Gould in San Francisco’s kickers room. Ultimately, the former Pro Bowler’s stint with the 49ers lasted six seasons, and he’ll leave the franchise ranked fourth in all-time scoring (704 points).

Considering Gould’s apparent desire to continue his playing career, it shouldn’t take all that long for him to find a new job. With 266 career regular season games under his belt, a front office will surely come knocking if their younger options show some cracks during training camp or the preseason.

K Robbie Gould To Depart 49ers In Free Agency

March 4th, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have enjoyed consistent production in the kicking game for the past six years, but a change will be coming in 2023. Robbie Gould indicated on Saturday that he will be leaving San Francisco and signing elsewhere as a free agent (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

The 40-year-old spent the first 11 years of his career in Chicago. It was in his second season in 2006 that he earned his lone Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors, after he led the league in field goals made that year. His field goal percentage remained above 83% in nine of his campaigns in the Windy City, a tenure which was followed up by a partial season with the Giants in 2016.

Gould parlayed that into a two-year deal with the 49ers in the subsequent offseason. He once again led the league in made field goals in his first year as a 49er, then set a career-high in FG percentage in 2018 (97.1%, which topped the NFL). That figure dipped to a personal low of 74.2% the following year, but Gould still proved to be a solid investment across his two San Francisco contracts.

Overall, the Penn State alum has make 86.5% of his field goal attempts, which ranks tied for seventh in NFL history. Gould has also 97.5% of his extra point attempts, and routinely proved his worth in the postseason. He has made each of his 68 career playoff kicks (29 FG, 39 XPs) a stat which will no doubt boost his market in free agency. It also helps explain his desire to continue his career despite his age.

“I’m nowhere near retiring,” Gould said in February. “I got a lot left to do from a career perspective – No. 1 being winning a Super Bowl. And, two, I’m pretty close to a lot of milestones I think would be pretty neat to be able to accomplish.”

The franchise tag could have been an option for the 49ers, who used it in 2019 before ultimately agreeing on a four-year, $19MM deal with Gould. Doing so this offseason would have cost $5.39MM, however, and the team will instead look to a much less expensive option amidst their tight cap situation and list of other priorities. A draft pick (or UDFA signing in April) can be expected to replace Gould in San Francisco, though whoever fills his shoes will face significant expectations. The rest of the 49ers’ special teams battery – punter Mitch Wishnowsky and recently re-signed long snapper Taybor Pepper – are under contract for 2023.

49ers OL Trent Williams Considering Retirement?

February 2nd, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Eyeing his 14th professional season, 49ers offensive lineman Trent Williams is considering hanging up his cleats. Following another deep playoff run that ended in disappointment, the 49ers All-Pro offensive lineman admitted that he’s contemplating retirement.

“It’s a long season,” Williams said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). “And having two long seasons back-to-back, it does get pretty grueling for a 34-year-old guy like myself. I’ll be 35 when the (2023) season starts. You do kind of think about what’s life like after football. I’ve done this every year of my life since the second grade.

“You do get to that age, especially at the end the year like this, as exhausting as it was. And still not getting quite where you want to be. I get it. You get to that age, But, honestly, I’m just taking it one day at time and we’ll see how that goes going forward.”

Williams hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. This past season, he earned his second-straight first-team All-Pro nod and his third-straight Pro Bowl appearance. While he told Branch that he’s still able to generate hype for playoff games, he acknowledged that the monotony of the regular season is starting to get tiresome. When asked about the lineman’s comments, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan opined that Williams was simply reflecting on the season vs. seriously contemplating retirement.

“If everyone had to do a press conference and talk for a while after these games, I’m sure we’d say a lot of things that didn’t tell you guys exactly everything that’s going to happen for the next eight months, but I didn’t read his words as that’s a big thing for him,” Shanahan said (via Jacob Hutchinson of KNBR.com). “I know Trent loves football. I know it’s very hard at his age, in any situation, to do what you do for that long and come up short, but I’d be really surprised if Trent wasn’t fired up in a few weeks.”

Williams has plenty of financial incentive to stick around the NFL. He inked a six-year, $138MM deal with San Francisco in 2021 and is set to earn close to $40MM in base salary over the next two years.

The offensive lineman isn’t the only 49ers veteran who’s discussing his NFL future. However, unlike Williams, kicker Robbie Gould is making it clear that he wants to stick around.

“I’m nowhere near retiring,” Gould said (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area on Twitter). “I got a lot left to do from a career perspective–No. 1 being winning a Super Bowl. And, two, I’m pretty close to a lot of milestones I think would be pretty neat to be able to accomplish.”

The 40-year-old kicker has spent the past six seasons in San Francisco, connecting on 87.5 percent of his field goal attempts. Gould connected on 27 of his 32 field goal attempts this past season while also setting a career-high with 50 extra point makes. A strong 2023 season could put Gould in the top-five on the all-time field goals list.

49ers CB Emmanuel Moseley Suffers Torn ACL

October 10th, 2022 at 11:53am CST by Adam La Rose

OCTOBER 10: As feared, Mosely did indeed suffer a torn ACL yesterday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. He will now undergo season-ending surgery in advance of hitting the open market this spring.

OCTOBER 9: The 49ers improved to 3-2 on the season with today’s win over the Panthers, but they paid a heavy price for it on the injury front. A number of key players left the game early, including cornerback Emmanuel Moseley. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the contest that Mosley is believed to have suffered a torn ACL. 

ESPN’s Nick Wagoner tweets that further testing will be done in the next 24 hours to confirm the diagnosis. Assuming it is true, though, the injury would end Moseley’s season and deal a significant blow to San Francisco’s defense. 2022 has been the second straight campaign in which the former UDFA has been a full-time starter.

Mosely entered today’s game with 19 tackles and three pass breakups, putting him on pace to at least match his production in recent years. Able to play both on the outside and in the slot, he has been an effective member of the 49ers’ secondary. That earned him a two-year deal last offseason, which will see him make $4.4MM in guaranteed money this season. Heading into free agency, however, his focus will now turn to recovery.

The 49ers have a number of options available to replace Moseley. Among them is veteran Jason Verrett, who has been designated to return after starting the season on the PUP list. The 31-year-old has dealt with a myriad of injuries throughout his career, but could prove to be an effective complement to fellow starter Charvarius Ward if he is able to return to full health.

In other injury news, starting safety Jimmie Ward suffered a broken hand, as noted by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). An extended absence from him would be problematic for the 49ers’ defense, but not as much as one from star pass rusher Nick Bosa. He left the game with a groin injury, so his status will be the subject of plenty of scrutiny in the coming days. Kicker Robbie Gould, meanwhile, exited due to a knee injury.

AFC Coaching Notes: Texans, Browns, Bettcher, Ravens, Gould

February 19th, 2022 at 9:45pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans have hired former Dolphins’ coaching assistant Kenyon Jackson in the position of assistant defensive line coach, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Son of former Pro Bowl tight end Keith Jackson, Kenyon played defensive tackle at the University of Illinois under new Texans’ head coach Lovie Smith.

In what is starting to seem like a trend, Smith also hired Dele Harding as a defensive assistant. Harding also played for Smith at Illinois, serving for two years as a team captain at linebacker.

Here are a few more notes on coaching changes in the AFC, starting with a note from the location of this weekend’s NBA All-Star game:

  • The Browns have hired Jordan Thomas in the role of assistant defensive line coach, according to Wilson. Thomas has coached defensive linemen at San Diego State and spent time at Lamar and Texas A&M University-Kingsville, as well. In addition, the Browns added Jeff Anderson to the staff as a defensive quality control coach.
  • Staying in the Buckeye State, recent 2021 NFL runner-ups the Bengals have made a move to replace former linebackers coach Al Golden. Golden is headed back to the college coaching ranks to become Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, former NFL defensive coordinator James Bettcher will fill the role. After time as the defensive coordinator for the Cardinals and Giants, Bettcher spent last season as a senior defensive assistant in San Francisco.
  • Staying in the AFC North, Baltimore brought in former Texans’ offensive line coach Mike Devlin to become the Ravens’ assistant offensive line coach, according to Wilson. Devlin coached big men for the Jets before Houston and at Toledo before that. The Ravens will certainly welcome the help for an offensive line that frequently had quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley scrambling for their lives last year.
  • Lastly, the Chargers have hired 49ers’ kicker Robbie Gould‘s kid brother Chris Gould. The 36-year-old was a former kicker in the Arena Football League and will be the Chargers’ assistant special teams coach, a role he’s held for the past five seasons for the Broncos. Additionally, the Chargers have hired Brendan Nugent as their new offensive line coach. Last year was Nugent’s first year coaching offensive linemen in the NFL in his seventh year with the Saints. He’ll 17 years of NFL coaching experience to Los Angeles.

49ers To Activate Kittle, Gould From IR

November 5th, 2021 at 3:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers will have some key players in uniform Sunday against the Cardinals. George Kittle and Robbie Gould will come off IR before Saturday’s roster-setting deadline, Kyle Shanahan said Friday.

Kittle has been down because of a calf injury. The All-Pro tight end attempted to play through the issue in Week 4, but the 49ers opted to shut him down the following week. Gould’s activation became fairly clear after the 49ers waived fill-in Joey Slye earlier this week.

Since signing his big-ticket extension last year, Kittle has struggled to stay on the field. He missed time because of a knee sprain and a fractured foot last season. Those injuries limited Kittle to eight games in 2020. He has missed three thus far this year. This will help a passing attack that may be without Deebo Samuel.

Battling a calf injury, Samuel is questionable for Week 9. Shanahan said his top receiver’s injury worsened this week, via the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman (on Twitter). The 49ers missing Samuel would be rather significant, given his dominance to start the season. Samuel has 819 receiving yards, topping Jerry Rice‘s through-seven-games franchise best. Samuel, of course, joined Kittle on the injury front last season. He missed nine games in 2020.

Shanahan added Jeff Wilson has a chance to make his season debut in Week 9. Previously given a late-November return timetable, Wilson has “kind of taken off,” in his recovery from a foot injury as of late, Shanahan said (per The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, on Twitter). The 49ers re-signed the veteran running back this offseason, but he suffered the injury over the summer.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/21

November 3rd, 2021 at 12:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

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