There has been a lot of speculation that Robbie Gould might hit free agency in March. He has been a reliable kicker for the San Francisco 49ers since signing a two-year deal with the team at the start of free agency in 2017.
Gould has never kept his feelings about Chicago a secret. The city is his home, and it's where his wife and three kids have lived over the past couple of seasons.
Gould lived in an apartment during his first year with the 49ers and out of a hotel room during his second, never knowing how long his time in San Francisco would last. When Gould retires from the NFL, he plans to continue calling Chicago home.
Chicago Bears fans love Gould and would like to have him back kicking field goals at Soldier Field. There was even speculation that maybe that's where Gould might end up in March.
Don't tell that to head coach Kyle Shanahan, who joined The Score 670 in Chicago on Friday. He expects to have Gould back in a 49ers uniform in 2019.
Shanahan was asked what he thinks of Gould's love for Chicago despite that fact that the kicker, at least for the next month and a half, is a Niner.
"I know Robbie had a great time in Chicago," Shanahan said on the "Mully & Haugh" show. "It's where he started his career. Any time you spend a lot of time somewhere, especially where your family is from, that's always going to mean a lot to you. That doesn't surprise me at all. I expect it.
"I'm also expecting and looking forward to having Robbie back in a Niners uniform next year."
Gould completed 33-of-34 field goal attempts and 27-of-29 extra points for San Francisco this past season. His 97.1 field goal completion percentage in 2018, which led the NFL (minimum 15 attempts), set the franchise record for the highest in a single season. Gould was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December.
By comparison, kicker Cody Parkey completed 23-of-30 (76.7 percent) field goal attempts and 42-of-45 extra points for Chicago in 2018. But he will probably be remembered for one kick in the playoffs.
Gould and his family are such big Bears fans that they were in a Soldier Field suite when Parkey missed what would have been a game-winning field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Shanahan still sounds confident that Gould will be back kicking field goals at Levi's Stadium.
"I'm excited about Robbie," Shanahan added. "He's earned this position to be in. He's been great for us. He's one of our leaders. He's done a hell of a job as a kicker.
"I know it will all work out. I know we've got two sides that want to work it out and I'm not worried about losing Robbie."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.