One of the best kickers in NFL history, let alone Bears history, is calling it a career. Robbie Gould announced on Thursday that he is retiring.
“To have the kind of playing-career experience that I had in the NFL was nothing short of amazing, and my level of gratitude for the journey — the ups, the downs, the in-between — is immeasurable,” Gould said in a post published on The Players’ Tribune.
Gould emerged as a Bears legend thanks to a tryout with the team in 2005. He ended up playing 11 seasons in Chicago and still ranks as the team’s all-time leading scorer with 1,207 points.
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Gould was named a First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2006 when he led the league with 32 made field goals. He hit 88.9% of his kicks that year and went a perfect 47-47 on extra point tries.
His leg was responsible for several Bears wins, including thrillers like his 49-yarder in overtime to beat the Seahawks in the divisional round of the 2006 playoffs.
The Bears cut Gould in 2016, but he went on to play seven more seasons in the NFL, one with the Giants and six with the 49ers. Gould’s time in San Francisco included one “revenge game” where he connected on five field goals to put the 49ers over the Bears 15-14. He also hit a game-winning field goal as time expired in the 2021 playoffs to give the Niners a win over the Packers and send San Francisco to the NFC Championship game.
Gould’s 85.4% field goal percentage ranks second in Bears history, behind only Cairo Santos’ 90.2% hit rate. His career 86.46% field goal percentage ranks ninth in NFL history.
