49ers News: Robbie Gould's Trade Request Won't Be Honored, Kyle Shanahan Says

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that the organization will not grant kicker Robbie Gould's trade request.

According to ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner, Shanahan acknowledged Gould's desire to play elsewhere but reiterated the Niners' intention for him to play under the franchise tag in 2019:

"We love having Robbie here. We understand that he doesn't want to live here long-term and he's made that clear to us and we get that. But we do have a franchise tag and he's that good of a kicker that he's worth franchising. Unfortunately, we know we're not going to have him here long-term. I think that's been pretty clear. No hard feelings about that. I can understand his reasons but I'm pretty excited to have a good kicker this year."

Gould and his agent told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday that he wants to play closer to his Chicago home, which is where his wife and three children under the age of five reside.

In addition to wanting to play closer to home, Gould said he is discouraged by the drawn-out contract talks with San Francisco and the fact that it expressed interest in New England Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski.

"The bottom line is, I'm unsure if I want to play there anymore," Gould said. "At this point, I have to do what's best for me and my family back home."

The 36-year-old Gould spent the first 11 seasons of his NFL career with the Chicago Bears before getting released. He appeared in 10 games for the New York Giants in 2016 and then signed with the 49ers prior to the 2017 season.

Gould has enjoyed the two best seasons of his career in San Francisco. In 2017, he made an NFL-high 39 field goals on 41 attempts, and he led the league with a field-goal conversion rate of 97.1 percent, going 33-of-34.

Over the past three seasons, Gould has made 95 percent or more of his field-goal tries in each campaign.

Gould is a one-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro who ranks second on the all-time field-goal percentage list at 87.7 percent, putting him behind only Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. Gould is also sixth among active players in career points and 23rd in NFL history.

Gould's agent, Brian Mackler, said he is unsure when or if Gould will report to the Niners, adding that he will not report before the regular-season opener on Sept. 8.

The Bears are in dire need of a kicker after releasing Cody Parkey following his miss of a game-winning field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs last season. Chicago has three unproven kickers under contract in Chris Blewitt, Elliott Fry and Redford Jones.

Chicago would be a perfect landing spot for Gould, but based on Shanahan's comments, he will have to wait at least one more season before going back to the Windy City.