Gould unsure of next steps if 49ers refuse to trade him

Disgruntled kicker Robbie Gould hasn't decided whether he'll retire, hold out, or play if the San Francisco 49ers keep a stranglehold on his rights.

"I don't really have a plan right now," he told Cam Inman of The Mercury News.

Gould has yet to sign the franchise tag he received from the 49ers following last season. He requested a trade to be closer to his family in Chicago, but nothing has materialized.

The 36-year-old has until July 15 to work out a long-term deal with San Francisco, an unlikely possibility given his geographical preferences. After that, the franchise tender is the only contract he'll be allowed to sign for the rest of the season under league rules.

"We've been negotiating for 17 months and it's been a complicated situation," Gould said of his status with the 49ers. "I'm at the point where my agent is going to handle it. If there's anything I need to know about, then I'll make a decision.

"When I need to know of something of substance and that I have to make a decision on, he'll call me. I've been able to focus on my training and spending time with my family and being around my kids."

Gould was absent from the 49ers throughout their offseason program. The team cannot fine him for missing mandatory activities because he isn't under contract.

Gould converted 97 percent of his field-goal tries last year and is statistically the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history. There is an obvious trade link to the Bears, who previously employed Gould for 11 seasons and currently have instability at the position, but the veteran is open to being traded to other teams.

"I never said I want to go back there," Gould explained. "I just said I want to be closer to my family. That doesn't necessarily mean (the Bears)."

The 49ers begin training camp July 26. Gould isn't sure if - or when - he'll report to the club, assuming he doesn't get his desired trade.

"I've been through several holdouts, I've been through a lockout season, I've been through not being on a team and showing up in Week 6," he said. "I'd say there is nothing that scares me anymore in Year 15, because I feel I've been through it all."

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