With no plans to retire, 49ers' Gould ponders next move originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Kicker Robbie Gould, the 10th-leading scorer in NFL history, does not know where he will be lighting up scoreboards next season.
At 40 years old, all Gould knows is that he will be kicking somewhere.
"I'm nowhere near retiring," Gould said this week. I got a lot left to do from a career perspective -- No. 1 being winning a Super Bowl.
"And, two, I'm pretty close to a lot of milestones I think would be pretty neat to be able to accomplish."
Gould has showed no signs of losing any of his effectiveness as a reliable kicker -- something that seem to be in short supply around the NFL.
Gould was among the free-agent signings the 49ers introduced in the spring of 2017 under coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. Only he and fullback Kyle Juszczyk remain from that group of players.
Now, Gould is scheduled for unrestricted free agency for the second time in his 49ers career. The 49ers placed the franchise tag on him in 2019.
After a tumultuous offseason, Gould and the 49ers agreed to a four-year contract extension in mid-July of that year.
It would cost the 49ers $6.6 million -- 120 percent of Gould's 2022 cap figure -- for the team to place the franchise tag on him this year.
"I've been franchise-tagged three times and never once have I played under a franchise tag," Gould said. "I've always been able to get a deal done. Sometimes it takes longer than others.
"If that's what happens, we'll see what happens. I don't think that's going to be the case this time around, but we'll take that in stride whenever that happens."
Gould ranks eighth all-time in NFL history with 447 made field goals. He is just 31 away from John Carney for No. 5. His field-goal percentage of 86.46 is eighth all time. He is No. 10 all-time with 1,961 points scored. Only seven players in league history have scored 2,000 or more points.
Gould has been perfect in 16 postseason games, making all 29 of his field-goal attempts and all 39 extra points.
Gould makes his offseason home in the Chicago area. His wife and three young boys moved to the South Bay for the season.
He said he has yet to sit down and prioritize exactly what is going to be important for him when determining where he kicks next season. Geography, team situation and contract also will be important factors.
The 49ers have a number of players scheduled for unrestricted free agency, including Jimmie Ward, Tashaun Gipson, Azeez Al-Shaair, Mike McGlinchey, Emmanuel Moseley, Jake Brendel and a number of defensive linemen. Shanahan said he sees "no scenario" in which the team re-signs free-agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
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Gould said he loves playing for the 49ers. He also realizes in order for the union to continue, it must work for both sides.
"It's a business," Gould said. "There are a lot of puzzle pieces that teams have to figure out.
"At the end of the day, it's all about dollars and cents, and it's about them having to make decisions that are best for the organization."
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