Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace has quite a bit of work to do as the NFL gets ready to kick off its annual spending spree in free agency. Retaining defensive starters Bryce Callahan and Adrian Amos are at the top of his agenda, but adding a starting kicker can’t be far behind.
Robbie Gould was the logical fit when the offseason began, but the 49ers’ decision to slap him with the franchise tag ended the possibility of a storybook reunion.
Surprisingly, an even better option to replace Cody Parkey will hit the open market and should be the apple of Pace’s eye.
The Patriots were expected to place the franchise tag on Stephen Gostkowski but instead have opted to let their starter since 2006 hit the open market. The franchise tag would’ve cost New England a one-year salary of $4.971 million.
Gostkowski was 27-of-32 on field goals in 2018 and connected on 49-of-50 extra points. He’s appeared in 200 games since 2006 and has drilled 87 percent of his kicks. Simply put, he’s been money.
Had Gostkowski lined up for the Bears’ game-winning attempt against the Eagles in the wild-card round, Chicago would’ve advanced to the divisional round. Pace has built a tremendous roster since his arrival in 2015 and he can’t allow a kicker to continue haunting his efforts.
Sure, signing Gostkowski will cost a lot. And when adding Parkey’s dead-cap money to the equation, it could teeter on too big of an investment in the position.
But we saw last year just how critical the position is. In fact, it’s one of the few positions — if not the only one — where a season (not just a game) can be won or lost on one rep.
Let’s get it right. Let’s get Gostkowski.
