NEWSLETTER
There was no shortage of moves Ryan Pace made during his time as Chicago Bears GM that fans would deem to be unpopular.
But none strike a chord like the decision to cut Robbie Gould before the start of the 2016 season. Gould was equal parts key cog in the Bears’ machine, quality kicker, and popular player among fans. Parting ways with Gould was a tough pill to swallow. And it wouldn’t get any easier as he rebounded strongly with the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers after his departure. That Gould was shining during the same stretch in which Bears kickers were woeful made matters worse.
But during a spot while he was on ESPN 1000’s Waddle and Silvy Show, Gould told a story of how Pace tried to make things right by engineering a trade with the 49ers in 2019.
“Ryan Pace tried to get me back in a trade a few years afterward,” Gould said on ESPN 1000 (h/t NBC Sports Chicago). “When the Eddy Piñeiro trade happened because I was holding out from San Francisco.”
Oh, what a time that was to be following Bears football. And, specifically, the kicking carnival surrounding the team.
If you’ll recall, the Bears were coming off a tremendously successful 2018 season. One that was ultimately undercut by Cody Parkey’s kicking leg. The months that followed had the Bears leaving no stone unturned in their search for Parkey’s replacement. The revolving door of kicker tryouts was a ridiculous one. That summer saw us write about kickers named Chris Blewitt, Redford Jones, and Elliott Fry. All were a part of what was an eight-kicker minicamp. It was an intense time that got so wild that a conspiracy theory broke out after kicker tryouts. They even hired a consultant to work with their kickers. Because that’s how broken this franchise was by Parkey’s double doink. The Bears were so desperate to fix a problem Pace created by cutting Gould. And it showed.
For what it’s worth, there was a feeling that Gould’s career was destined to end in Chicago. He was set to hit free agency in 2019 before the Niners tagged him. There were moments in which he discussed a potential return and teased us to pieces with that idea. Gould reportedly requested a trade, went through a holdout, and made it seem like he really wanted a Bears reunion before ultimately signing a new deal with San Fran. It was a bummer.
The flashbacks I’m getting by bringing this up are taking me to a place that I don’t want to revisit. So I think we can leave it here.
But, hey, it wasn’t all bad. Had Pace successfully brought Robbie back, this would’ve never happened:
And I cringe to think what life would be like if Aaron Rodgers didn’t suffer that devastating heartbreak.
Gould is a free agent now. And let it be known that he is open to a Bears reunion. But Chicago already has Cairo Santos (and a UDFA rookie with a strong leg) in the fold. However, there is a non-zero chance one (or both?) of those guys stumbles in camp. From there, I suppose Ryan Poles can dial up ESPN 1000 and see if Robbie wants to take a break from his radio gig.
