5 high-priced players SF 49ers might move on from
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: SF 49ers Kicker Robbie Gould
Average Salary per Year: $4,750,000
The SF 49ers never should have signed veteran kicker Robbie Gould to a four-year, $19 million deal ahead of 2019.
Yes, specialists are important. But dishing out that kind of money for one at the tail end of his career is risky business, especially considering his 2020 cap hit of $5.1 million was money desperately needed to carry over as rollover into 2021.
If there’s good news, though, Gould has zero in remaining guaranteed money, essentially making 2021 and 2022 option years. The Niners can cut bait with him this offseason while saving $3.75 million in cap space against $1.5 million in dead money.
And if they wait until after June 1, doing the same would generate $4.5 million in cap space instead.
For what it’s worth, Gould is the second-highest-paid kicker, both in terms of annual average and total value, only behind the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker.
Considering San Francisco’s fiscal situation entering this offseason, there’s no reason to commit that much in cash resources to a specialist.