The San Francisco 49ers and Robbie Gould remain in a standoff regarding the kicker's future with the franchise.
It doesn't sound like Gould is ready to acquiesce quietly to the franchise tag and play out the season just yet.
"It's a complicated situation," Gould told NBC Chicago. "The way I've kind of approached it is, I want to spend time with my family. And I let my agent handle it, and if anything comes up that I have to make a decision or be in the know, he'll call me and let me know. But right now there's nothing to really know, and I'm just enjoying being home and being in Chicago.
"I'm at a point in my career where my family is what's going to dictate the decisions that I make."
Gould spent his first 11 seasons with the Bears and still makes his offseason home in Chicago. The 14-year veteran is expected to be a free agent after this season, and presumably -- given his desire to play close to his family and the Bears' struggles to pin down a reliable kicker -- would be playing for the McCaskey family again were it not for the 49ers slapping him with the franchise tag. Gould has requested a trade. The 49ers rejected the notion.
The kicker skipped offseason workouts -- since he has not signed the $4.971 million franchise tender, like Le'Veon Bell last season, he cannot be fined for missing mandatory minicamp.
The 36-year-old's first comments on his impasse with the 49ers came during the Robbie Gould Celebrity Golf Invitational at Medinah Country Club to raise funds for Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Gould's ties to the city run deep.
"This city's been incredible," Gould said, via NBC Chicago. "No matter where I've gone, no matter where I've lived, no matter where I've played, Chicago has always been home."
Regardless of whether the kicker prefers to play for his home team or not, the 49ers control his rights. His choices at this stage are to sign the tag and play out the season, pull a Le'Veon Bell, or pray the Niners have a change of heart.
Since the Bears released Gould in 2016 after two down seasons, the kicker has been one of the most accurate booters in the NFL, nailing 82 of 85 field goals. It's not a surprise the Niners want to keep him another season.
The 49ers and Gould have until July 15 to strike a long-term solution, but unless the veteran is playing an impressive negotiating game by pining to move back to his home team, that deadline seems likely to pass without movement.
