Robbie Gould is calling it a career. (Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)
Veteran NFL kicker Robbie Gould is retiring after 18 seasons in the league, he announced Thursday.
Gould, who turned 41 on Wednesday, reflected on his career via Instagram. He accompanied the lengthy caption with a photo from his tenure with the Chicago Bears.
He played in Chicago for 11 years, cementing himself as one of the team’s greats. He was listed at No. 62 on the Bears’ 100 all-time greatest players list in 2019. He is their all-time leading scorer with 1,207 points. After a year with the New York Giants, Gould played six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
Now, he plans to focus on his family.
“To have the kind of playing-career experience that I had in the NFL was nothing short of amazing,” he wrote. “My level of gratitude for the journey — the ups, the downs, the in between — is immeasurable.”
During the offseason, Gould said he was hoping for a training camp invitation but nothing took shape.
He will go down as one of the best postseason kickers in NFL history. Combining field goals and extra points, he made all 68 of his attempts in 16 career playoff games.
Boasting an unconventional success story, Gould went undrafted out of Penn State in 2005. After he got signed and released by the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens before his first season, he started working in construction. His historic career began in Chicago after kicker Doug Brien sustained an injury and left a spot open.
In addition to the Instagram post, Gould penned an essay for The Player’s Tribune titled “0:00”
“Will I miss it? Absolutely. The fire to play and to compete definitely still burns, and I’m not sure that will ever go away,” he wrote. “As I look back over the entirety of my career, it’s kind of ironic because the thing I’m going to miss the most isn’t really even all that much about the actual game of football. I’ll miss being a part of a football team. The plane rides, the pregame meals, the companionship, the locker room culture, the workouts, and the grind of one unit trying to accomplish a common goal of winning — that part can’t be replaced.”
Because of Gould’s accuracy in important moments, he has plenty of consequential kicks to remember. While Chicago fans will never forget his game-winner that sent the Bears to the NFC championship in 2007, he often reminisces about a different attempt.
During the 2022 playoffs, the 49ers and the Green Bay Packers were tied 10-10 with four seconds remaining in the game. In freezing weather at Lambeau Field, Gould nailed a 45-yard kick to send the 49ers to the NFC championship game.
The kick stands out for Gould due to a combination of factors that can be boiled down to two attributes: His passion for Chicago and his drive as a competitor.
“We didn’t win it all or even make it to the Super Bowl that season, but, man, that one felt good. I’ve always had a healthy respect for the Packers and that fierce Bears-Packers rivalry. More than anything, though, I just absolutely love Bears fans,” he wrote. “Big moments like that — the pressure on me and everyone watching — that was my happy place. Call me crazy, but I lived for that. I wanted the game to come down to me.”
There’s no doubt Gould will continue looking for the thrill of competition. He’s an avid golfer who will look to bridge the gap between country club players and the non-traditional crowd.
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