Kickers can be an afterthought in the NFL but that’s hardly the case for the Bears this off-season.
They plan to release playoff goat Cody Parkey next month, according to multiple reports, and could quickly follow that by signing Robbie Gould, who they released after the exhibition season in 2016, or another proven kicker.
Both moves would significantly impact a salary cap situation that limits their options in free agency.
Parkey’s double-doink miss against the Eagles was later ruled tipped at the line. But it was the last straw for him in a nightmarish season that followed his signing a four-year, $15-million contract that guarantees $9 million. He also upset Bears management by accepting an invitation to appear on NBC’s Today Show without team permission.
General Manager Ryan Pace has said the Bears will have competition for the kicking job heading into 2019, when they will be among the NFC favorites after a surprising 12-4 performance last season. They signed one kicker, University of Tulsa product Radford Jones, after a six-kicker tryout in late January, but they’ve continued the search.
Per Spotrac, the Bears currently have $180,986,399 in spending on the books for 2019, only $11,613,601 below the cap limit. That includes a $4,062,500 obligation for Parkey. They currently have very little dead cap money on the books but releasing Parkey will bring a $5,187,500 hit in dead cap money.
Signing Gould in free agency next month would cut into their flexibility but no doubt be extremely popular with fans who lament their decision to cut him. Gould, 36, has completed a two-year, $4-million deal with the 49ers, who are attempting to re-sign him.
The 49ers can retain Gould’s rights for 2019 by using the franchise tag on him. They haven’t franchised a player since 2012 but Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports they could do that with Gould to keep him away from the Bears.
The Patriots’ Stephen Gostkowski, who earned $4.3 million last season, is another possible free agent but it seems unlikely he’ll leave New England. There are reports he could receive the franchise tag if he doesn’t re-sign.
The Jets’ Jason Myers, the first NFL kicker to make five field goals of at least 55 yards in a season, is another free agent possibility.
It’s not out of the question that the Bears could use a draft pick on a kicker, although they currently have only five picks. The three kickers scheduled to attend next week’s NFL Combine are LSU’s Cole Tracy, Utah’s Matt Gay and Oklahoma’s Austin Seibert.
The Bears have built a deep team and won’t suffer major losses through free agency, having re-signed right tackle Bobby Massie. They are likely to draft a piece or two for the secondary and possibly another wide receiver for Mitchell Trubisky to target but could have the flexibility to use one of their two seventh-round picks (the 222nd and 238th overall) on a kicker if they evaluate one of the college kickers highly enough.
Re-signing Gould is the obvious move, if they get the chance. But it’s unclear if he’ll be available.
