49ers notebook: Gould signs reworked contract, but lands on COVID list
Robbie Gould had an interesting Wednesday.
The 49ers kicker, who faced an important deadline for his contract looming this week ahead of Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, reworked his deal to stick around for the next two seasons, the team announced.
Gould also tested positive and landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said. He won’t be available to play in the season finale, forcing the team to scramble to find a kicker.
Gould’s new contract will pay him a fully guaranteed $7.25 million, according to an ESPN report, through 2022. The move saves the 49ers money and gives them a bit more salary cap flexibility ahead of the uncertain offseason. The salary cap floor for 2021 will be $175 million, down significantly from the pre-pandemic projections of $210 to $215 million.
“It was great to lock up Robbie,” Shanahan said. “I didn’t feel like we were going to lose him, so I was glad that we were able to work out something that helps both sides. Helps out the organization and Robbie too, so I think we all felt real good about that.”
Gould’s initial contract was set to give him cap figures of $5.25 million and $4.75 million over the next two seasons, respectively. The details of the new agreement are not known, but the new $7.25 million total would indicate the 49ers are going to pay substantially less to keep Gould around over the next two years than they would have otherwise.
Shanahan indicated Gould’s cap hit will be lower in 2021 than 2022, when the salary cap is expected to bounce back towards normalcy with a new television contract expected to get signed in the coming months.
“I know it created more space for us this year, which is more of an issue with not everyone knowing the salary cap this year with the COVID stuff going down,” Shanahan said. “We know we all expect it to go up the next year, so I think that’s the stuff that helps us, less this year and more in the next.”
The 49ers are going to replace Gould on Sunday with former Vikings practice squad kicker Tristan Vizcaino. He is already with the team in Arizona and is expected to pass through COVID-19 protocols in time to play Sunday, Shanahan said. He’ll be kicking with a new long snapper, Colin Holba, who was added this week after Taybor Pepper landed on the reserve/COVID list. Holba had been with San Francisco previously in 2018 and before the 2019 regular season.
Vizcaino was released by Minnesota on Dec. 15. and would be making his NFL debut. He played in college at Washington before signing with the Cowboys in April and the Bengals in August. Shanahan said punter Mitch Wishnowsky would likely be the emergency kicker, though defensive backs Ahkello Witherspoon and K’Waun Williams have backgrounds in soccer. Williams often wears soccer cleats in practices and games.
The 49ers could have decided not to rework Gould’s deal and let Sunday pass without picking up his team option, guaranteeing him money for next season. That would have made it likely the team would have brought a new kicker in. But Shanahan indicated Gould was worth the price given the team’s hopes to contend for a Super Bowl in 2021. He also said every significant decision the team makes has a domino effect on how the it handles free agency.
“You have to make all those decisions, financially, that affect every other one,” Shanahan said. “But if you decide to move on from a good kicker like Robbie, you got to be willing to get worse or spend close to the same money to try to stay the same. So that’s to me a pretty easy decision. It was important to us to have a good kicker. We have one of the best, to me, that’s played the game in Robbie.”
Gould has made 115 field goals over his four seasons with San Francisco, the fifth-most in franchise history. And he holds the longest and third-longest-made streaks in team history at 33 and 25. His 86.6 percent conversion rate is fifth highest in NFL history of all kickers that have made at least 100 field goals.
Warner wins weekly award
49ers linebacker Fred Warner added another accolade to his impressive 2020 season. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Warner had 14 tackles, three pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He deflected a Kyler Murray pass on fourth down in the fourth quarter that helped put the game on ice.
“He’s a fantastic player. He’s everywhere,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday on a conference call with Bay Area reporters. “Early on, he looked like a promising player. We didn’t see that he would take over, but he has taken over as a dominant player on their defense, run and pass. ... He looks like he’s their leader. It’s just a quick ascent to a leadership, prominent player position.”
Warner is currently Pro Football Focus’ highest graded inside linebacker. He has a chance to get his first All-Pro nomination this season after being named to his first Pro Bowl.
Shanahan credited Warner’s approach to preparation that’s allowed him to become one of the best players in the league.
“He’s finding ways to get better,” Shanahan said. “I think Fred played at a Pro Bowl and All-Pro level last year. And he got rewarded for that this year, but his game even took a step forward. It’s cool to watch a guy who, you talk about being deliberate in everything you do, not just going to the meeting, but really getting stuff out of it. Fred is so deliberate in everything he does. The way he eats, the way he sleeps, the way he listens, the way he takes a rep. Everything is so focused and locked in to try to get better.”
McGlinchey likely getting option picked up
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey has been under fire for some high-profile gaffs in pass protection this season. But it doesn’t appear Shanahan’s confidence is waning in the 2018 first-round pick.
The 49ers have to decide to pick up McGlinchey’s fifth-year option for 2022 by early May of this spring. Shanahan said that decision hasn’t been discussed by the front office yet, but he’s expecting McGlinchey to stick around with the 49ers for the foreseeable future.
“We haven’t talked about it, which is probably a big tweet thing,” Shanahan quipped. “But McGlinchey is going to be here. So, without me ever thinking of (the fifth-year option), no, we haven’t talked about it. But don’t worry, Mike, you’ll be all right, man. So obviously I’ve got to talk to John (Lynch), talk to Jed (York), but I didn’t even realize that was up next year, which means I feel pretty good about McGlinchey.”
▪ The 49ers sat a slew of players at Wednesday’s practice ahead of the finale.
They include: receiver Brandon Aiyuk (ankle), defensive tackle Kevin Givens (not injury related), defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (knee), linebacker Mark Nzeocha (illness), receiver Deebo Samuel (hamstring), cornerback Richard Sherman (calf), slot corner K’Waun Williams (shin), left tackle Trent Williams (elbow) and defensive end Jordan Willis (ankle).
Aiyuk, Trent Williams, Samuel and Sherman have already been ruled out for Sunday.
Limited: defensive end Dion Jordan (knee), safety Tarvarius Moore (ankle), cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (hamstring) and offensive lineman Justin Skule (knee).
Safety Jimmie Ward was back listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice after missing last week’s game with a concussion. Tight end Charlie Woerner was also a full participant after being activated off the reserve/COVID-19 this week.
This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 2:08 PM.
