49ers trade for Zane Gonzalez from Panthers to fill kicker opening

The San Francisco 49ers aren’t a team that rest on their laurels, and they decided to take actions filling the kicker role by trading for Zane Gonzalez.

A moment of silence please for all us San Francisco 49ers fans, because the era of kicker Robbie Gould has officially ended.

While there was hope the two sides would come to an agreement to continue his impressive tenure at the team, the 49ers have instead opted to swap picks in the 2025 NFL Draft to bring in Zane Gonzalez from the Carolina Panthers.

Read More: 49ers NFL Draft picks 2023: Every selection Niners have this April

The Panthers had originally planned to release Gonzalez after losing his role to Eddy Piniero after suffering an injury, but the 49ers decided that Gonzalez was worth a small trade for.

Now let’s be clear on one thing. This does not preclude the 49ers using one of their picks on a kicker this year or bringing in some competition.

But looking at Gonzalez, there’s some optimism this could be a shrewd trade. He was 20-from-22 in field goals in 2021 prior to his injury with both misses from 50+ yards, he also converted almost all his extra points at a 22-from-23 clip. He did not play in 2022 due to an injury suffered in preseason.

Financially speaking it almost makes sense, if he starts every game he’s only on the books for slightly over $2 million which is a significant saving on whatever Gould would have wanted on the market.

While this is hardly a trade that’s going to stagger the masses, the importance of a good kicker has been something the 49ers have been blessed with under Robbie Gould and his predecessor David Akers. While Zane Gonzalez is not on that level, he’s a solid kicker careerwise coming off what was a career year before his injury.

With this trade, the last starting role on the roster has now officially been filled. Again this does not dismiss the possibility of a rookie being selected or a veteran coming into camp, but the position now at least has someone on the roster.