The San Francisco 49ers apparently gave up assets for a kicker.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Friday that the 49ers acquired kicker Zane Gonzalez in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
The move is surprising for a couple of reasons. For one, kickers are not really scarce commodities, and teams are often comfortable with signing kickers off the street (sometimes even in the middle of the season). For another, Gonzalez himself isn’t exactly an elite kicker or one who is at the peak of his value. He missed all of last season due to a quad injury and was an OK 36-for-44 (81.8 percent) on field goals in the two years prior to that.
Robbie Gould handled the kicking duties for the 49ers over the last six seasons, but his contract expired after the 2022 campaign. Gould said earlier this month that he would not return to San Francisco.
Gonzalez, 27, is under contract next season for just $1.5 million, none of which is guaranteed (per PFT). He will also be reunited in San Francisco with one of his ex-Carolina teammates.
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