Bears Must Be Kicking Themselves After Robbie Gould Signs in San Francisco and Doesn't Come Home

The Chicago Bears' search for competence at the kicking position continues. With former Bears legend Robbie Gould reportedly struggling to get a deal done prior to the deadline for franchise-tagged players to agree to extensions, rumors swirled that Gould could be headed back home in a trade.

Unfortunately for Chicago faithful, the 49ers locked Gould up on a 4-year, $19 million extension.

Beating Monday deadline for franchised players to sign long-term extensions, the 49ers and Robbie Gould reached agreement on a 2-year, $10.5 million fully-guaranteed deal that, including an option clause, can turn into a 4-year, $19M deal that includes $15M gtd, sources tell ESPN
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 15, 2019

The 36-year-old kicker's 87.7 career field goal percentage is the second-highest in NFL history, and his huge new contract shows just how highly San Francisco values the position. He's enjoyed the two best seasons of his career since arriving in the Bay, making an astonishing 72 of 75 field goal attempts.

The kicker position has been a revolving door for the Bears since they released Gould, the franchise's all-time leading scorer, in 2016. After Cody Parkey's infamous missed field goal that could have sent the team to the Divisional Round of the playoffs –– and his subsequent release –– things have only gotten worse.

Gould's request for a trade in April after stalled contract negotiations with San Francisco gave Bears fans hope that he would return to the windy city, but Monday's developments shut the door on that possibility.

The Bears are determined to find a young (and cap-friendly) kicker with long-term prospects, so Robbie Gould never really was an option. But this virtually closes the door on Gould as a surprise Mack-like acquisition. https://t.co/tXN33FsYmS
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) July 15, 2019

Bad kicking can kill good teams, just as it did to Chicago last season. With another playoff run likely in the cards, the Bears had better address their need soon.