49ers Extend Robbie Gould's Contract Through 2022

Strange timing.

Four days after 38-year-old kicker Robbie Gould missed three kicks -- two field goals and an extra point -- the 49ers gave him a fully-guaranteed $7.25 million contract extension through 2022, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"You need a kicker, and you want a good one," head coach Kyle Shanahan explained on Wednesday. "And we have a kicker and we have a good one. If you decide to move on from a good kicker like Robbie, you've got to be willing to get worse or spend close to the same money to try to stay the same. That to me is an easy decision. It's important for us to have a good kicker. We have one of the best who has played the game, and will continue to have him, which helps us not have to fill that hole, and we can focus on the others. Everything ties together. I do know now we're not going to spend a draft pick on a kicker."

Despite what Shanahan said, Gould's play has deteriorated the past two seasons. After making 95.1 of his kicks in 2017 and 97.1 percent of his kicks in 2018, he made just 74.2 percent of his kicks in 2019 and 82.6 of his kicks in 2020. And he has missed six of his past eight field-goal attempts from beyond 50 yards. He's losing leg power and accuracy.

But by extending Gould's contract, the 49ers actually saved cap space. So they've got that going for them.

"I don't have my calculator on me so I don't know the exact space it created," Shanahan said, "but I know it created more space for us this year, which is more of an issue with not everyone knowing the salary cap going down. We all expect it to go up the next year, so that's the stuff that helps us."

So Gould will be around for at least the next two seasons. But he won't be around this Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, because the 49ers placed him on the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Wednesday.

"Randomly him getting Covid today is just a coincidence," Shanahan said. "Wouldn't have done (the extension) if we knew that. I'm just joking. But I'm just glad we were able to get someone in. We got a guy named Tristan off the Vikings practice squad. He's here. Friday we'll have him out there. He gives us an option at kicker for the game."

The 49ers' kicker for Week 17 is a guy named Tristan. And I'm guessing this guy will kick better than Gould kicked last week.

What a strange day.