Will the 49ers Regret Letting Robbie Gould Walk in Free Agency?

It's an end of an era.

Kicker Robbie Gould is set to leave the San Francisco 49ers when free agency commences. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch will be looking for a new kicker for the first time since taking over their respective positions in 2017.

And to think, he possibly could have been playing elsewhere four years ago. Entering the 2019 season, Gould was demanding a trade from the 49ers after he was franchise tagged. Not giving into Gould's demands turned out to be a great call for the 49ers as he gave them flawless field goal attempts in all of their playoff runs. Moving on from Gould, who has been reliable, is a risky move for the 49ers and one where they could look back on kicking themselves for not retaining him.

Veteran kicker Robbie Gould said today that, as much as he enjoyed his last six seasons in San Francisco, he will test free agency later this month and be kicking elsewhere in 2023.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2023

So, will the 49ers regret letting Gould walk in free agency?

Right now they won't. Gould is surely going to demand top dollar that will put him up there with the likes of Baltimore's Justin Tucker, Seattle's Jason Meyers, and Pittsburgh's Chris Boswell. These are the top three paid kickers with salaries that range from $5 million to $6 million. And for a guy who is up there in age (40), the 49ers have to heavily consider the risk of giving Gould that top dollar he wants with the possibility of him declining. Then there is the salary cap space that the 49ers are kind of limited with as they sit at about $7.8 million in space, per Spotrac.

The 49ers could cut about half of that money by going younger at kicker and giving them close to the same efficiency, in theory at least. They still have to actually go out and find that efficient kicker who is cheaper, which is easier said than done. Saving money by not giving Gould the huge sum he is looking for benefits the 49ers so that they can allocate that salary cap space elsewhere. Positions such as safety, edge rusher and offensive lineman are needed.

Where they could end up regretting letting Gould walk is if he is still kicking accurately while his replacement on the 49ers is whiffing. So, right now, the 49ers won't regret it because the cost with the salary cap makes it tough. If Gould would be willing to make a little less than he has been, then surely the 49ers wouldn't mind re-signing him. But Gould knows his worth and can find some team who will give into his salary demands.

The 49ers just have to get his replacement right, which will place a lot of pressure on that new kicker.