Report: Robbie Gould ‘never got an offer’ to return to 49ers during offseason
Jul 17, 2023, 1:51 PM | Updated: 2:37 pm
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 01: Robbie Gould #9 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates an overtime win against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on January 01, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jeff Bottari/Getty Images)
The San Francisco 49ers have undergone a few changes to their roster this offseason, with one of them being at the kicker position. But after months of thinking the change in direction was mutual between Robbie Gould and the team, it appears that was untrue.
A report surfaced over the weekend that the longtime 49ers kicker wanted to return to the Red & Gold in 2023, but that the team never offered him a new deal. Gould spent the last six years in the Bay Area, helping the 49ers win numerous games. But while both sides have mutual respect, a change in the guard was the direction the organization took.
“I would’ve loved to have gone back there,” Gould told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “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.”
Seems like Robbie Gould wanted to come back, but at fairly high rate like his past deals.
Also makes sense this comes out as Gould is still unsigned and probably doesn’t get any long-term or high-end deal.#49wz https://t.co/N48n1A8OxK
— Rohan Chakravarthi (@RohanChakrav) July 15, 2023
Instead, San Francisco chose to draft Michigan standout Jake Moody in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft in April. When Gould learned of the 49ers’ plans, he quickly got to work, telling Maiocco that he would not be back with the team. But clearly, that wasn’t what the player wanted.
The change wasn’t my decision,” Gould added. “Obviously, at the end of the season, they had to make a decision and ultimately they wanted to go in a different direction. “We put out the tweet that we were going to go in a different direction once we found that out. It was a great run, and it was a lot of fun. I wish all my teammates nothing but the best.”
Despite the cutthroat ending to his 49ers tenure, the Michigan native is still very appreciative of his time in Santa Clara, especially with coach Kyle Shanahan at the helm.
“Kyle is the best head coach in the NFL,” Gould stated. “The guy is an offensive genius. He’s an awesome dude. I can’t speak highly enough about how great of a dude he is, how awesome he’s been to me. I think he’s unbelievable as a head coach.
Robbie Gould, 40, will now look for only his fourth NFL team in his career. The kicker was efficient last season, converting on 84.4% of his field goals. He also made 50 of 51 extra points.
“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.”
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