Connor Barth joins Bears after release from Saints

Larry Mayer – Bears senior writer

CHICAGO (CHICAGOBEARS.COM) — The Bears decided to release veteran kicker Robbie Gould Sunday night simply because they felt that Connor Barth would provide an upgrade at the position.

“For us it was if a specific player becomes available and we know that we’re able to acquire that player, then this is something we need to entertain or discuss,” general manager Ryan Pace said Monday, minutes after Barth signed with the Bears. “That’s kind of how it played out; when we knew this guy would be available for us, it made the switch a possibility.”

Barth became a free agent Saturday when he was released by the Saints after losing a competition to Kai Forbath.

Barth has appeared in 83 NFL games over seven seasons with the Chiefs, Buccaneers and Broncos, making 84.8 percent of his field-goal attempts (139 of 164). Since 2010, the North Carolina product has made 63 of 64 tries from 20-39 yards.

“He’s extremely accurate,” added coach John Fox. “We had him in Denver [in 2014], brought him in in a similar situation. The key is we call it points team and when you get those opportunities, you’ve got to get those points.”

Gould departs after 11 seasons as the Bears’ all-time leading scorer with 1,207 points and also holds team records for field goals made (276), field goals made from 50 yards and beyond (23) and longest field goal (58 yards in 2013).

Last season Gould converted 33 of 39 field-goal attempts. He made his first 18 tries, missed six of 15 during a midseason slump and then converted his final seven.

Pace conceded that it was difficult to say goodbye to Gould, the last remaining member of the 2006 Bears squad that reached Super Bowl XLI. But the general manager felt the move was necessary because it will ultimately upgrade the roster.

“This time of year there are mixed emotions,” Pace said. “These decisions are difficult. There are a lot of good people that we’re dealing with and there’s a human side to this, and these decisions are never easy. As a young general manager, that’s tough. I understand the personal side of it and I take that very seriously. There are numerous guys this weekend that we had those discussions with, and one was Robbie Gould.

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