Robbie Gould Given Franchise Tag by 49ers Ahead of Free Agency

The San Francisco 49ers confirmed Tuesday that they have placed the franchise tag on kicker Robbie Gould.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the move.

San Francisco is the first team to use its franchise tag this season, and the move secures one of the NFL's most reliable kickers. Per OverTheCap.com, the projected value of the franchise tag for a specialist in 2019 is $5.162 million.

In terms of total cash, Gould is slated to earn more than any kicker in the NFL next season, according to Spotrac.

The 36-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Niners after 11 years with the Chicago Bears and one season with the New York Giants. Gould has already become arguably the greatest kicker in 49ers history.

His 96 percent field-goal success rate over the past two seasons is tops in the NFL, and it is the second-highest field-goal percentage over a two-year span in NFL history, per the 49ers. Gould also holds the record in the latter category (96.1 percent, 2016-17).

Last season, Gould made 33 of his 34 field-goal attempts for a success rate of 97.1 percent, which led the NFL and is the best single-season mark in team history. That came on the heels of his NFL-high 39 field goals in 2017 on 41 attempts for a percentage of 95.1.

Gould is a one-time Pro Bowler and one-time First Team All-Pro. He achieved both of those accolades in his second NFL season (2006).

During his 14-year career, Gould has connected on 87.7 percent of his field goals, which is second on the all-time list behind only Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. Gould also has the 23rd-most points in NFL history.

He's been especially important for the 49ers over the past two years because of their issues at quarterback. The Niners didn't have strong play at the position in 2017 until they acquired Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots late in the season, and with Garoppolo tearing his ACL last year, they had to turn to the inexperienced Nick Mullens.

If injuries or inconsistency should arise again under center in 2019, the 49ers will at least have the luxury of turning to Gould's accurate leg.