Robbie Gould still hasn't backed off from the trade demand he made last month. As a result, it should come as no surprise that the San Francisco 49ers' veteran kicker is holding out of his team's mandatory minicamp, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
49ers’ kicker Robbie Gould still has not signed his franchise tag, thus he will not be at minicamp.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 10, 2019
In late April, Gould announced that contract discussions between he and the 49ers had grown so unproductive that he was pulling out of all future negotiations and requesting a trade. That development came as a result of San Francisco slapping Gould with the franchise tag in late February, assuring he'd play the 2019 season on a one-year contract lest he sign a new long-term deal with the 49ers.
Both general manager John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan subsequently said that though they understand Gould's preference to play elsewhere, they expect him to kick for San Francisco this season. Lynch even suggested that he would be content with Gould preparing for 2019 away from his 49ers teammates and coaches for the majority of the offseason, expressing confidence that he would be ready for the regular season regardless.
Gould signed a two-year, $4 million deal with San Francisco in March of 2017. He led the league in field goals during his first season with the team, going 39-of-41 and a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond 50 yards. Gould was just as effective in 2018, pacing the NFL with a 97.1 field goal percentage by connecting on 33 of his 34 kicks.
Gould has always maintained that he preferred a long-term contract to playing on the franchise tag this season, which would pay him just over $5 million. He’d previously shown interest in signing with the Chicago Bears, his former team, while the 49ers last month engaged in contract discussions with longtime New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
Follow Us
Subscribe