If you were hoping for a surprise development in the Robbie Gould saga this week, don't hold your breath. The San Francisco 49ers kicker will not take part in the team's mandatory minicamp.
49ers players under contract are expected to be on hand starting Tuesday. The team will hold two practices this week before players receive about six weeks off until training camp in late-July. Gould is expected to be the most notable absence.
San Francisco used the non-exclusive franchise tag on Gould on February 26, which would earn him nearly $5 million for one season of play in 2019. A month later, the kicker requested a trade.
Adam Schefter of ESPN noted on Monday that Gould still has not signed his one-year franchise tag deal and will not take part in this week's practices or meetings. He remains in the Chicago area preparing for the regular season ... wherever that might be.
49ers' kicker Robbie Gould still has not signed his franchise tag, thus he will not be at minicamp.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 10, 2019
Gould calls the Chicago area home and spent 11 seasons kicking for his hometown Bears.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said in April that the 49ers have no intention of granting Gould a trade but understands his kicker doesn't want to be in the Bay Area anymore.
"We understand that he doesn't want to live here long-term, and he's made that clear to us, and we get that," Shanahan said. "But, we do have a franchise tag, and he's that good of a kicker that he's worth franchising. So, unfortunately, we know we're not going to have him long-term here. I think that's been pretty clear. No hard feelings about that. I do understand his reasons. But, pretty excited to have a good kicker this year."
Assuming Gould doesn't sit out the season, and given Shanahan's comments, he will be the 49ers' kicker in 2019. The fact that Gould has missed so much of the offseason program is not a concern for special teams coordinator Richard Hightower.
"The best thing about that is it's kind of really already been spoken on with John and Kyle," Hightower said last week, "and I really don't have any more to add on that, other than I know that Robbie's a pro, he's a pro's pro, and he's a delight to coach. That kid is always ready. He's a pro's pro, I can tell you that."
Gould, a 14-year veteran, completed 33-of-34 field goal attempts and 27-of-29 extra points during the 2018 season, his second with the 49ers. His 97.1 field goal completion percentage last year, which led the NFL (minimum 15 attempts), set the franchise record for the highest in a single season.
The 49ers initially signed Gould to a two-year deal on March 9, 2017. The only other kicker on the roster is Jon Brown, whom the team signed to a two-year deal in March.
"Jon Brown's doing well," Hightower said. "Yeah, he's working his tail off. He's got a strong leg. The thing about Jon is he has to just develop as a kicker, which everybody had to do, even Robbie had to do. Everybody has to do that until they get their chance. He's done a phenomenal job up until this point. But again, he's still got a long way to go, as we all do."
