Former 49ers K Robbie Gould says he and his agent approached San Francisco earlier this offseason about staying but it became clear the team was ready to move on.
“I would’ve loved to have gone back there,” Gould said via NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco. “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.”
Gould and his agent then announced they would be pursuing other opportunities before the start of free agency. The 49ers traded for K Zane Gonzalez and spent a third-round pick on K Jake Moody.
The veteran remains unsigned but says he’s had some contact with some teams. Several clubs have younger (and cheaper) options they’re evaluating but Gould’s track record stands out among the available free agent options should injuries or inconsistency strike.
“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.”
Gould, 40, originally signed on with the Patriots back in 2005 as an undrafted free agent, but he lasted just a few months in New England before joining the Ravens briefly and later joining the Bears.
Gould was in the fourth year of his five-year, $17.925 million contract when he was released by the Bears at the start of the 2016 season. He later signed a one-year deal with the Giants.
The 49ers brought Gould in on a two-year, $4 million contract in 2017. He was in line to be an unrestricted free agent in 2019 when the 49ers franchised him. After a lengthy negotiation, Gould signed a four-year, $19 million extension right before the deadline.
In 2022, Gould appeared in 17 games for the 49ers and converted 27 of 32 field goal attempts to go along with 50 of his 51 extra-point tries.
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