Robbie Gould has said his goodbyes and reportedly will not return to the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. Instead, the veteran kicker plans to test free agency this month and expects to play elsewhere, ending his six seasons with the Bay Area squad.
The Niners were already planning for his departure, with general manager John Lynch confirming the team is evaluating kicker options. Part of that evaluation includes looking at incoming rookie kickers this week at the NFL Scouting Combine. The 49ers reportedly met with North Carolina State's Christopher Dunn, one of the top kickers entering the draft.
Matt Barrows of The Athletic expects San Francisco to set up workouts for Dunn, Michigan's Jake Moody, Georgia's Jack Podlesny, and others ahead of next month's draft.
Dunn only missed one of his 29 field-goal attempts for the Wolfpack in 2022 and made each of his 30 extra-point attempts.
San Francisco also met with the following players at the NFL Scouting Combine.
- OT Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland (per TheSFNiners)
- OT Blake Freeland, BYU (per TheSFNiners)
- OL Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion (per TheSFNiners)
- C Juice Scruggs, Penn State (per TheSFNiners)
- RB Sean Tucker, Syracuse (per TheSFNiners)
You can view an updated tally of all meetings with incoming rookies using our 49ers 2023 Pre-Draft Visit/Meeting Tracker.
San Francisco lacks a first- or second-round pick in next month's draft. The team is expected to own 10 selections once compensatory picks are announced. Three compensatory picks will come courtesy of the NFL's minority-hiring program for coaches or executives hired by other teams to serve as their head coach or general manager.
San Francisco is also expected to gain three more compensatory selections for the losses of D.J. Jones, Arden Key, and K'Waun Williams last offseason.