5 potential cap casualties for 49ers with reduced 2021 salary cap

No. 4: 49ers Kicker Robbie Gould

It’s a bit strange to consider the Niners inked veteran kicker Robbie Gould to a four-year, $19 million contract ahead of 2019 after he was hit with a franchise tag, subsequently putting forth a season in which he converted a mere 74.2 percent of his field-goal tries.

But that happened, it’s in the books and there’s not much to be done about it until his contract language begins to change in 2021.

In a sense, both of Gould’s 2021 and 2022 contract years are identical in the fact neither has guaranteed money attached to them. For the contract novices out there, things get weird when players no longer have guaranteed money left on their respective deals, and that’s the situation Gould will find himself in a little less than a year from now.

Kickers aren’t necessarily a dime a dozen, so the saying goes. But their production isn’t exactly impossible to replace.

What matters more, however, is San Francisco can free up $3.75 million by cutting the would-be 38-year-old Gould in 2021 against $1.5 million in dead money.

For a team tight on cap space, this might be one of the bigger no-brainers for the 49ers’ front office next offseason.