SANTA CLARA – Kicker Robbie Gould has been nearly automatic since he signed with the 49ers on the first day of free agency in 2017.
The only thing about his time with the 49ers that seems a bit uncertain is whether he will be back in 2019.
“Obviously, my deal’s up at the end of the year,” said Gould, 36, on The 49ers Insider Podcast. “I’m not really thinking about it. I’m not really worried about it. I’m just worried about playing football. My family is not living out there with me right now, so I have a countdown for when I can go home and kiss my three boys and my wife.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Five weeks ago, Gould’s wife, Lauren, gave birth to the couple’s third child. The 49ers’ kicker was able to make two trips back to Chicago to spend time with his family. Because he was beginning the second year of a two-year contract he signed with the 49ers, the decision was made for Gould to live in a hotel close to 49ers headquarters while the rest of the family remained in their permanent home.
“My wife and I decided this year because my deal is up at the end of this year that we wanted them to have normalcy,” Gould said.
“At the end of the day, I just have to make kicks and do my job.”
Gould is certainly doing his job while also living up to a high standard off the field. He is the 49ers’ nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. He routintely spends time volunteering in the community every Tuesday on his day off -- an aspect of his time with the 49ers that he said has produced lasting memories.
San Francisco 49ers
He has been equally consistent on the field.
Beginning last season and stretching into this year, Gould set the 49ers’ record for most consecutive field goals with 33. He has risen to No. 2 all-time in NFL history field-goal accuracy at 87.62 percent. Baltimore's Justin Tucker leads at 90.55 percent.
“That’s the highest I’ve ever been,” Gould said. “I’m not really excited for myself, because I want to be No. 1. But the guys I’m excited for are the (offensive) and (defensive) lines, the snapper, Bradley Pinion holding.
“I’m happy for them because they put so much time and effort into it and really take ownership in it. I’m the last piece of the puzzle. Those guys make my job a lot easier.”
In his two seasons since coming to the 49ers, Gould has made 68 of 71 field-goal attempts (95.8 percent). His 36-yard field goal in overtime Sunday helped the 49ers snap a 10-game head-to-head losing streak against the Seattle Seahawks.
On Sunday, Gould will kick against the Chicago Bears, the team for which he played his first 11 NFL seasons. Last year, Gould accounted for all the scoring in the 49ers’ 15-14 victory over his former team at Soldier Field. His 24-yard field goal with :04 remaining sealed the emotional victory.
That game was the first of a season-ending five-game win streak for the 49ers. Again, the 49ers are playing their best football at the end of the season with back-to-back victories over Denver and Seattle.
“It’s been a really, really awesome two years here,” Gould said. “Obviously, the records haven’t been what people might think they’d be. But as an older player, you can understand what they’re building. You can understand what it looks like, just because you’ve seen all types of situations in the last 14 years.
“I think these young guys getting playing time is something that we need for next year because if we didn’t have it this year, and it just so happens to start next year, some of those mistakes that could be made ... can cost you a football game.”