Who Should I Start? Robbie Gould or Michael Badgley

Thursday, December 7, 12:25 PM

Veteran kicker Robbie Gould officially announced his retirement from professional football on Thursday after 18 years kicking in the NFL. Gould began his career as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State and was signed by the Chicago Bears in 2005. He spent the next 11 seasons with Chicago, making 85.4% of his 323 field-goal attempts and 99% of his extra points, earning a first-team All-Pro selection and Pro Bowl nod in his second year in 2006. Gould spent one year with the New York Giants before ending his career with six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. The 41-year-old finishes up an excellent NFL career with a field-goal percentage of 86.5 and extra-point conversion rate of 97.5%. Gould was one of the most reliable kickers of his generation.

Thursday, February 22, 7:16 PM

Free-agent kicker Michael Badgley has returned to the Detroit Lions by signing an undisclosed one-year deal with them on Thursday, according to his agent. Badgley only appeared in four games for the Lions in 2023, going 4-for-4 on his field-goal tries while making 13 of his 15 extra-point attempts. The 28-year-old spent most of the season on the practice squad before he replaced Riley Patterson for the final four games of the regular season and the playoffs. In total, he made all seven of his field goals and went 24-for-26 on his extra points last year. Badgley isn't just going to be handed the starting kicker job in 2024, most likely having to compete with another kicker that Detroit brings in this offseason.