The San Francisco 49ers are apparently giving up assets for [checks notes] a kicker.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported on Friday that the 49ers have acquired kicker Zane Gonzalez in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
Panthers traded kicker Zane Gonzalez to the 49ers, per his agent @MikeMcCartney7.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 24, 2023
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 had handled the kicking duties for the 49ers over the last six seasons. But his contract expired after the 2022 campaign, and Gould said earlier this month that he would not be returning to San Francisco.
Veteran kicker Robbie Gould said today that, as much as he enjoyed his last six seasons in San Francisco, he will test free agency later this month and be kicking elsewhere in 2023.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2023
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.
