Chicago Bears should bring back Robbie Gould in 2019

A familiar face is set to become a free agent, and the Chicago Bears just so happen to have a need at his position.

The Chicago Bears and their fans are just now beginning to get over the heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, even though there will be constant reminders throughout draft season, the summer, and even into next season. The only way to right the wrong is to fix the problem and win.

What better way to do that than to bring in the Chicago Bears’ all time leading scorer, kicker Robbie Gould. General manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy seemed none too pleased when Cody Parkey’s recent television appearance was brought up during the end of the season presser this week, and made it seem like there is no chance that he will be the kicker for the Bears in 2019.

It is hard to see a team bringing back the guy who couldn’t get the job done, and then followed it up by going on TV and making everyone try to feel sorry for him. Enough about Parkey, onward and upward. The Bears fans would love to have Gould back, as he has been excellent over the majority of his long career and his time in San Francisco was no exception.

Gould is coming off of a season that he was 35 years old and turned 36 about two thirds of the way through. So he is 36 and will turn 37 during next season which is no spring chicken in terms of sports but kickers tend to play at a very high level for much longer. He will need a contract this summer, and although the 49ers also need a kicker and will likely try to bring him back there is no reason for the Bears not to try.

In Gould’s 208-game NFL career, he has made 87.7 percent of all field goals attempted and 97.6 percent of all extra points. Those are some excellent numbers for the former undrafted free agent kicker. In case anyone has a “what have you done for me lately” attitude, his 2018 was actually better than his already-excellent career average. He was 97.1 percent on field goals and 93.1 percent on extra points.

Gould seems to love Chicago, as he was a Bear for a very long time. He still lives in Chicago, so the transition back would be relatively easy, one would think. If Gould were to come home he would be received well by the fans, especially considering how much he has taken off since his bitter departure in Chicago.

One can only hope that the Bears bring in a kicker as “good as Gould,” but it is up to Pace, Nagy and the rest of the Chicago Bears brass to make that decision. The fact that Gould didn’t rule it out is good news.