The possibility of Robbie Gould returning to the Chicago Bears is the now strongest it’s been since the team released him in 2016.
The veteran kicker formally requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers, who placed the franchise tag on him this offseason.
Gould hasn’t specifically named any teams he’d like to be traded to, but he’s continuing to send strong hints that he’d like to return to Chicago.
The 36-year-old Gould indicated that he has gotten tired of 14 months of futile contract negotiations and wants to be closer to his wife and children in Chicago.
“The bottom line is, I’m unsure if I want to play [in San Francisco ] anymore,” Gould told ESPN. “At this point, I have to do what’s best for me and my family back home.”
Gould’s agent indicated the kicker plans to holdout through the summer and up to the regular season, if not further, if a trade doesn’t materialize.
If the Bears are interested, they likely won’t be the only potential suitor for one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers.
Ryan Pace already has three kickers on the roster and is still paying over $4 million to Cody Parkey, so giving up trade compensation for Gould and paying him a long-term contract may be a tall task.
