We love him. We hate him. Oh wait, we love him again.
Robbie Gould took San Francisco 49ers fans on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster this offseason. The kicker was set to become a free agent until the team used the franchise tag on him. And that was it, right? The uncertainty was gone, wasn't it?
Two months later, ESPN reported that a frustrated Gould had requested a trade.
The perception was that Gould, who calls Chicago home, had hoped to return to the Bears so he might be closer to his family. "Perception" is the keyword. More on that in a moment.
Kicker drama is not what fans wanted following an injury-plagued four-win campaign. A monthlong standoff ensued. Gould wanted a multi-year deal. The 49ers wanted to get their kicker signed to one. What was the problem?
Fans had to wait until July 15, the last day this year the 49ers could sign Gould to a multi-year contract, to hear that the team had re-signed the kicker.
"Negotiations are something that I have been a part of kind of my entire career," Gould told reporters on Friday as players reported for training camp. "I'm excited to be here. I think there's a lot of things that obviously happened over the last several months that got us to where deadlines spur action. I'm excited to be here playing football, and it's awesome to see the guys in the locker room.
"We've got one of the best locker rooms, I think, in the National Football League, and it's great to see those guys. I stayed in great shape. I'm ready to kick, and go win some football games."
For Gould, the nice thing about missing the entire offseason program is that he got to spend a lot of time with his family, something that hasn't been the case over the last two years. As he has explained before, Gould noted that his family would remain back home in Chicago while he is in the Bay Area this season because of how late the deal got done. He and his wife already enrolled their kids in school. However, there will be opportunities this season to see each other.
"It's part of the business," Gould said.
Oh, and as for the rumors of Gould wanting the 49ers to trade him to the Chicago Bears, a reporter asked the kicker about that on Friday.
He responded by asking, "Did I say I want to go back to the Bears?"
"No," answered the reporter.
"Ok, next question," Gould said.