Zane Gonzalez Traded to 49ers from Panthers; Teams Swap Picks in 2025 NFL Draft

Kicker Zane Gonzalez has been traded from the Carolina Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers, according to Gonzalez's agent, Mike McCartney.

In exchange for Gonzalez, the teams will be swapping 2025 draft picks, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Gonzalez, who missed last season with a groin injury, hit 20-of-22 field-goal attempts and 22-of-23 extra points for the Panthers during his fifth NFL season in 2021.

Before the trade can be made official, Gonzalez must pass a physical, according to the 49ers.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero noted that the Panthers ended up trading him for conditional late-round compensation despite early reports that they were releasing Gonzalez.

The move might signal the end of the Robbie Gould era in San Francisco.

Gould has been the 49ers' kicker since 2017, converting on 96.1 percent of his extra points through six seasons. In what might have been his last run with San Francisco, the 40-year-old went 8-for-8 on field goals and was perfect through five extra points during the 2022 postseason.

The veteran kicker announced earlier this month that he would be testing free agency for his 19th NHL season.

Although Gould has yet to sign with a team, San Francisco has already been evaluating draft picks and trade options to find his replacement.

That search brought the 49ers to Gonzalez, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2017 draft out of Arizona State.

Gonzalez played for the Cleveland Browns for a season-plus from 2017 to 2018 and the Arizona Cardinals from 2018 to 2020. The kicker signed with Detroit in 2021 before being waived by the Lions and signing with the Panthers instead. He went 4-of-4 on field goals in Weeks 8 and 10 but suffered a season-ending quad injury during pregame warm-ups in Week 15.

If he passes the physical, Gonzalez will be the only kicker on the 49ers roster, but he could face competition if San Francisco uses one of its 11 picks on a prospect like North Carolina State kicker Christopher Dunn. The 49ers were reportedly evaluating Dunn at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month.