In this article, we will see the NFL Kicker Salary.
Introduction
In the world of professional sports in the USA, there is a handful that is exceptionally big as an organization. These are the Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), the Major League Soccer (MLS), and the National Football League (NFL).
Of the five leagues, there is only one that is largely all American. All the teams within that organization are American-owned. Not a single Canadian team has joined. The Canadians have their own professional league, though, the Canadian Football League. The American League, however, does not prevent any of its member teams to hire the services of a Canadian citizen.
It is the largest in both attendance and revenue. Attendance is the physical presence of a spectator inside the football stadium. That is not to mention the life or recorded TV broadcasts in all its games in a season from some TV corporation. Revenue is the ticket sales, gate entrances, and all the contracts they get from TV broadcast companies. Endorsements from commercial products would also count as revenue.
That is the NFL, the National Football League. It is the biggest professional sports organization in the USA, probably also in the world. Under an unfamiliar name (the American Professional Football Association) before the current one when membership, as they had called it then, into the organization was only a mere $100. And the founding teams did not even pay for it. Not because of lax implementation but because pro football was not popular; college football was. It is a different story today.
Each NFL team has a roster of 53 players but only 46 get to suit up the uniform on play day. Each team has a unique 11-man offense team, another distinct 11-man defense team, and another 11-man special team that has four specific positions.
The special team is our focus at the moment. They have the kicker, a return specialist, and the punter when the team is on the offensive. They form a defensive line to protect the kicker or the punter. In particular, the position of Kicker is the one we are going to dissect.
The Kicker
History of the Kicker Position
Long before we know American pro football, as we know it today, it was a copy of the old English sports of rugby and soccer. The American version, in the initial stages of the sport, also used a ball to play the game. The player, with his hands, holds the ball and drops it to the ground to kick on it.
Ball Evolution Since 1869
The first recorded competitive football in the USA between two universities was in 1869. This game set the basis for the “plant” to grow. Someone noticed that the game had to stop several times to inflate the ball. To do that, they had to get the key that unlocks the inflater which was inside a fold in the ball. Men would take turns blowing into it, including players. This resulted in a lopsided ball with unequal amounts of air at every resumption. It was already a misshapen sphere back then. The funny thing is, nobody actually was pointed as responsible for the change of the ball to what it is today. It just happened, it developed. It is “pig skin” in common speech, but, formally, as “The Duke”.
The Forward Pass of 1906
The Americans soon thought of a technique to adapt to the playing field. They soon came up with ball passing in order to move forward towards the goal, the forward pass. But the ball was of a strange sphere than the previous ones decades ago. Most of the players who were stocky or small, found it difficult to throw. Not much, perhaps of a problem at the catching end with both the player’s arms stretched out for the ball. Another problem they found was the oddly shaped ball had an unpredictive behavior after it landed on the ground; no player knows where it will end up bouncing to. This led to another of the many changes of the game’s rules.
Drop Kick and Place Kick
Forward passing became more popular with coaches and teams. There was now a need to change the rules again. That they did. Not only drop kicks are options for the team to use in the game, but also place kicks. In a place kick, the technique will use tiny implements for the ball to be steady and upright for it to be kicked; a tee for kickoffs, and a holder for field goals and points after.
Despite the changes, no one player had the designation as the sole placekicker on any team. Back then, they also were more at ease with the barefoot to kick the ball. And any player at any position may kick the ball. No official designation was yet to come from the organizers of the league.
One-Platoon to Specialization
After the first world war, the concept of one-platoon became something to mull about by team owners. This is the iron men of football. Lesser men, lesser maintenance, and, most important of all, lesser pay for team management. These would be the men that compose the offense team and the defense team as well, a double duty. There was something awful nobody saw. By the middle of the game, everybody was out of air.
Many of the teams adopted this for a certain length of time. But serious problems arose were the obvious one was physical and muscle fatigue on many of the players. Consequences weighed heavier than advantages and one platoon went into abolishment in 1940. This then moved into the evolution of modern American football with players who do two roles, usually related to each other.
First Specialized Place Kickers
As the game progressed, specialization had to be the key for some teams. Other teams adopted but halfway only. And the NFL organization came up with the position name and position responsibilities to make everything formal. Flexibility within the rules. Although it is yet for confirmation, there might be evidence of having a “specialist” placekicker on a team as early as 1933-34. But the first “specialist” for placekicking duty only was a man who began his pro football career in 1945, which is found in NFL records; Ben Agajanian.
The Official Role of a Place Kicker (PK) or Kicker (K) in the NFL
The position of placekicker or kicker in the NFL is the player responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points.
Field goals occur when a team on the offense cannot convert on a fourth down. The kicker and the special team take to the field to salvage a three-point kick. This is from a distance where the ball was last held by the team on the offense.
An extra point to the team on the offense happens after the team has got a touchdown, which is worth six points. Immediately after, if the coach decides to, the special team executes for a play. If the kicker puts the ball within and through the goalposts, a point gets the team further ahead.
Record Kicks in History
A mention is necessary of the few outstanding performances of kickers from different teams in the NFL. There is only one record we can talk of and that is the longest kick executed by a kicker and scores a field goal of three points; the longest scoring field goal by a kicker.
The playing field of American football has a total length of a hundred yards. This record, at the 60-yard line, happened only 17 times in the history of the NFL.
* The current longest scoring field goal is 64 yards by kicker Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos on December 8, 2013.
* The first longest record scoring kick happened in 1970 with 63 yards by Tom Dempsey playing for the New Orleans Saints back then.
* Two kickers have two 60-yards scoring field kicks in their career; Greg Zuerlein and Sebastian Janikowski. Greg Zuerlein is still active and playing with the Dallas Cowboys.
The NFL Teams
In uniformity, all teams in the NFL have $175M to allot as salaries for their players; the ceiling to spend on the players. This amount may go up the next year or stay the same for whatever reasons we will not be privy. This ceiling is to make all teams “equal” to each other. In collaboration with the player’s union, players and the NFL management agree to a minimum base salary.
The ceiling and the minimum base salary are the “playing field” of the management group of each of the teams in the NFL. What is the strategy chosen for adoption in the following season? Who should we hire? What is the most important position at the moment? There are sleepless nights to come up with so many decisions before the draft and the season begin.
So how important would this be for a kicker in the NFL? He is as important as the player next to him. He is as important as the quarterback even. In fact, as seen through history, the individual player with the most point accrued in a season is the kicker.
The magic number here is $175M for a single team. Let us see where the kicker stands.
The Salary
In 1996
Unless it is privileged information, there is no available data on kicker salaries 20 or 30 years before. The more difficult it would be, if not impossible if we searched for data in the years between the two world wars. It is understandable since the age of home computing, more or less, started in the late 70s in the USA.
There is no reason for us to compare records between NFL 2021 and NFL 2020. What much difference is there to see in the data that was just a year ago? Such folly and insult that would be for everyone. Despite our efforts in the search, we found none. Except for one record. Only one record and that shows our efforts were not in vain.
In 1996, a kicker by the name of Adam Vinatieri played for New England Patriots for 2 years, but he had 20 years of playing time in the NFL. Though he started the year before, his contract record is in 1996. He played until 2019, was a player in 5 Super Bowls, and was in the team that won 4 out of it. He is the greatest kicker in NFL history by reputation. Far above that, he is the all-time leading scorer in the NFL with 2,673 points.
That is an achievement beyond any quarterback, or a running back, or a wide receiver had done. The three-player positions are the devils in the team that must score. But a lowly kicker is nothing in a single game like he matters not. He may save the day for the team; he may also be the reason the team lost.
Whatever it may be for the kicker in the team, Adam Vinatieri, with his first NFL contract in 1996, received a $155,000 base salary for that year. Not very much, indeed. If we put in the factor of inflation, it still is not much that it will not go above $300,000 in today’s value, 2021; not even a hand close.
In 2021
In this current year, we got a hold of a list of all the current kickers in all the teams of the league. The additional columns we present are with the purpose for analysis that will come within this sub-section.
Kicker Team Age Annual Pay ($) Until
1. Justin Tucker Ravens 32 5,000,000 2024 UFA*
2. Graham Gano Giants 34 4,666,667 2024 UFA
3. Ka’imi Fairbairn Texans 27 4,412,500 2024 UFA
4. Jason Sanders Dolphins 26 4,400,000 2027 UFA
5. Mason Crosby Packers 37 4,300,000 2023 Void
6. Brandon McManus Broncos 30 4,300,000 2025 UFA
7. Chris Boswell Steelers 30 4,201,500 2023 UFA
8. Harrison Butker Chiefs 26 4,055,000 2025 UFA
9. Wil Lutz Saints 27 4,050,000 2024 UFA
10. Jake Elliott Eagles 26 4,030,000 2025 Void
11. Ryan Succop Buccaneers 35 4,000,000 2024 UFA
12. Jason Myers Seahawks 30 3,862,500 2023 UFA
13. Josh Lambo Jaguars 31 3,785,000 2023 UFA
14. Robbie Gould 49ers 39 3,625,000 2023 UFA
15. Daniel Carlson Raiders 26 3,384,000 2022 UFA
16. Matt Prater Cardinals 37 3,250,000 2023 UFA
17. Cairo Santos Bears 30 3,000,000 2024 Void
18. Greg Zuerlein Cowboys 34 2,500,000 2023 UFA
19. Dustin Hopkins Washington 31 2,462,500 2022 UFA
20. Randy Bullock Lions 32 1,750,000 2022 UFA
21. Nick Folk Patriots 37 1,225,000 2022 UFA
22. Cody Parkey Browns 29 1,212,500 2022 UFA
23. Michael Badgley Chargers 26 1,100,000 2022 UFA
24. Aldrick Rosas Saints 27 990,000 2022 UFA
25. Zane Gonzalez Lions 26 990,000 2022 UFA
26. Evan McPherson Bengals – 955,929 2025 UFA
27. Younghoe Koo Falcons 27 920,000 2022 RFA**
28. Tyler Bass Bills 24 869,806 2024 UFA
29. Joey Slye Panthers 25 850,000 2022 RFA
30. Sam Ficken Titans 29 850,000 2022 ERFA***
31. Riley Patterson Vikings – 810,000 2024 RFA
32. Jose Borregales Buccaneers – 809,167 2024 RFA
33. Brian Johnson Bears – 808,333 2024 RFA
34. Quinn Nordin Patriots – 808,333 2024 RFA
35, J.J. Molson Packers – 808,333 2024 RFA
36. Greg Joseph Vikings 27 780,000 2022 RFA
37. Eddy Pineiro Colts 26 780,000 2022 UFA
38. Rodrigo Blankenship Colts 24 768,333 2023 RFA
39. Chase McLaughlin Browns 25 762,500 2022 RFA
40. Matt Gay Rams 27 762,500 2022 RFA
41. Tucker McCann Titans 24 742,500 2023 RFA
42. Matt Ammendola Jets – 742,500 2023 ERFA
43. Tristan Vizcaino Chargers 25 742,500 2023 ERFA
44. Austin Seibert Bengals 25 695,114 2023 UFA
45. Lirim Hajrullahu Cowboys 31 660,000 2022 ERFA
* UFA: Unrestricted Free Agent. These are players who have completed the contract aft the number of years stipulated. They are then free to sign up with any other team.
** RFA: Restricted Free Agent. These players are those that have an expired contract of three years. They can sign with any other team bur the original team they came from can match or offer a tender.
***ERFA: Exclusive Rights Free Agent. Any player with less than three seasons and an expired contract. The player is not free to sign with any other team if the team he was on offers him a one-year extension for the minimum payment.
Salary Analysis
The Number of Teams.
There are 32 teams in the NFL today. Then why do we have 45 kickers in all the NFL? Some teams, for obvious but various reasons, maintain two kickers to be most flexible in situations they would find themselves in a bind.
Some teams have only one kicker. He only plays for that position only. Some teams also might not have a punter and the kicker will do that duty. A kicker is more valuable as an asset than a punter who does not have the chance to score for the team.
Millionaires Over Non-Millionaires.
Basing on the list, and to be literal about it, there are 24 players with a base salary of a million dollars or more. That is 52% of the total kicker population for that year. That means 48% of the kickers are non-millionaires.
There is only one kicker that is at the bottom earning the minimum salary. But look at his age and the situation he will be in at the end of the season. Probably forced to squeeze into that condition of having a contract of fewer than 3 years, limited by the salary ceiling set upon by the NFL. To solidify the doubt, look at the team where he belongs, the Dallas Cowboys.
That is a powerhouse team. It has been to the Super Bowl eight times. Two other teams share the same number of appearances. All three teams are second only to the highest, the New England Patriots, with eleven Super Bowls. The Cowboys want that trophy back.
The Highest and the Lowest Then the Average.
The total salary of all kickers in the NFL for this year would amount to a little over $96 million. The average salary of an NFL kicker is about $2.144 million. Not a poor pay for kickers who may stand to play in the NFL for a decade or more, just as Adam Vinatieri did.
But wait. If a single team in the NFL has a ceiling of $175 million and there are 32 teams. That is a staggering $5.6 billion in grand total salaries of all players in all the teams of the NFL; whatever position one plays.
All kickers have $96 million, which is just a measly 1.7% of the $5.6 billion of the grand budget ceiling.
Does Age Really Matter Here?
Age, when taken as a whole for all the playing positions in a team, would not be as heavy an issue. The more troublesome or one that all teams are very concerned about is player injury. Accidents happen and when it does on a star player, the season might be over for that team.
A serious injury on the playing field for the running back, the wide receiver, and, most dreaded of all, the quarterback is disastrous for the team.
For kickers, age is also of the least concern for the player and the team as long as he can still perform his kicking duties as the team expects him to.
The rules of the NFL protect all kickers of all teams. There is a provision in the rules that nobody may touch the kicker. The opposing team may block the ball in its upward trajectory but never touch the man. A rather reassuring rule for all kickers.
All kickers can age in the NFL. There are many kickers who have played in the NFL for more than a decade. One such player is Adam Vinatieri, who has played in the modern era of sports for over two decades.
He may have started with a base salary much lower than the minimum of today. With 20+ years of service, however, he made security of tenure for himself and got ready for early retirement.
Conclusion
- The kicker is responsible to score 3 points in a field goal and an extra point after a touchdown.
- The kicker has NFL rules that protect them from physical harm.
- The kicker is not the star player of the team.
- The kicker’s base salary is increasing in the years that passed.
Overall, this means the teams in the NFL have given ample respect to the position of kicker today than they did in yesteryear. An acknowledgment that took a long time in coming.
