Placing the franchise tag on Robbie Gould could necessitate San Francisco finding another kicker.
Gould, who appeared in 10 games for the Giants in 2016, has informed the 49ers that he no longer will negotiate a long-term deal and wants to be traded.
“The bottom line is, I’m unsure if I want to play there anymore,” Gould told ESPN. “At this point, I have to do what’s best for me and my family back home.”
Gould spent the first 11 seasons of his career with Chicago, where his wife and three children still reside — and where Super Bowl hopes were shattered last season when Cody Parkey missed a deciding field goal in a playoff loss to the Eagles. Gould left Chicago for a stint with the Giants and then played the past two years in San Francisco.
The 36-year-old Gould was slapped with the franchise tag in February, but the sides have been unable to come to terms on a contract extension.
“Robbie’s going to be a part of us this coming year, I know that,” 49ers GM John Lynch told reporters Monday. “We would like it to be longer than that. We’ve made an attempt to make that happen. We haven’t come to an agreement as of yet and we’ll see where that goes, but Robbie will be a part of us this coming year.”
Still, Gould’s agent, Brian Mackler, indicated a summer holdout is likely, telling ESPN: “At this time, we are unsure when or if he will report. It will not be prior to Sept. 8, at the earliest, if at all.”
The other kicker on the Niners’ roster is Jonathan Brown, who hasn’t attempted a kick in a regular-season game after going undrafted in 2016.