The San Francisco 49ers finally decided to part ways with kicker Jake Moody after his struggles became too glaring to ignore.
While they already have a replacement, maybe they should have given a call to former Niners legend Robbie Gould.
The 49ers wasted no time signing Eddy Piñeiro after getting rid of Moody, but maybe they could have given some thought to trying to get Gould to come out of retirement.
Team reporter Matt Maiocco noted on social media that Gould is still busy these days:
If you're wondering what Robbie Gould is doing these days ... well, he's busy getting his varsity squad at Saint Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Ill., ready for their game Friday night against Marmion Academy.
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 9, 2025
Last year, Gould was hired as the head football coach at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Gould obviously has tied to the Chicago area due to his long and successful tenure as the kicker for the Chicago Bears, so it makes sense that he has stayed in the area after his playing days.
Gould is 42 years old and has shown no obvious interest in wanting to return to the NFL, but Niners fans must often yearn for the days when Gould was the kicker and he seemed so reliable when kicking field goals and extra points. The amount of confidence fans had seeing a proven veteran like Gould trot out there to attempt a kick versus a young and clearly nervous Moody was night and day.
From 2017 through 2022, Gould put up solid numbers with San Francisco. His field-goal make percentage was 87.5 and his extra-point percentage was 96.1. He had some truly legendary moments in red and gold like his game-winner in a playoff game at snowy Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers back in 2022.
It was a bummer when Gould decided to retire. The 49ers chose to move on from Gould by drafting Moody in 2023, and there will always be a small amount of wonder about how that season would have turned out had Gould been the kicker. Maybe he makes the extra point that Moody missed in the Super Bowl.
Gould seems happy coaching high school football in retirement, but it is hard to argue that bringing him back would have been the most popular move after deciding to get rid of Moody.
Alas, we will now have to see how Piñeiro fares in the role. After the dark days of Moody, pretty much anyone would be an improvement at this point.