How much money do NFL kickers make?

Kicking in the NFL may not produce as much money as other positions, but league placekickers can still take home a nice paycheck.

The top-nine highest paid NFL kickers all have at least a $4 million cap hit, according to Spotrac. Baltimore's Justin Tucker, who tops the list, boasts a plus-$5 million cap hit.

Tucker's $5.1 million cap hit is No. 1 among league kickers, followed by the Pittsburgh Steelers' Chris Boswell ($4.773 million) and the New Orleans Saints' Will Lutz ($4.7 million).

Justin Tucker remains the NFL's highest-paid kicker at $5M per year (his extension, which keeps under contract through 2023, is $20M over four years).

Tucker also received more guaranteed money ($12.5M) than Sanders. https://t.co/tFNeaoc4n9
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) February 16, 2021

The Denver Broncos' Brandon McManus and the Green Bay Packers' Mason Crosby are tied at fourth, both having a $4.5 million cap hit.

Meanwhile, seven kickers vie for lowest-paid in the NFL with a $660,000 cap hit apiece.

They are: Justin Rohrwasser (New England Patriots), Dominik Eberele (Los Vegas Raiders), Tucker McCann (Tennessee Titans), Cameron Nizialek (Jacksonville Jaguars), Austin MacGinnis (Los Angeles Rams), J.J. Molson (Green Bay Packers) and Lirim Hajrullahu (Carolina Panthers).

No NFL kickers have cap hits in the $1 million-range. The Cincinatti Bengals' Austin Seibert is at $850,000. Right above him, the San Francisco 49ers' Robbie Gould sits at $2,60 million, which is a fairly large jump.

#49ers signed LS Taybor Pepper to a 2-year contract extension. So, he's settled in that spot for a couple of years. Niners now have K Robbie Gould, P Mitch Wishnowsky and Pepper under contract through at least the 2022 season.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) February 4, 2021

In terms of base salaries, McManus leads all NFL kickers at $4 million, followed by Tucker and the Jacksonville Jaguars' Josh Lambo with $3.5 million apiece. The Houston Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn is at No. 4 ($3.45 million) and Lutz is fifth ($3.4 million).

The same seven kickers who tied for lowest cap hit are also tied for the bottom of the base salary list, as their $660,000 each accounts for all of their base salaries.

Consistency equals money for NFL kickers

As with any athlete, NFL kickers are compensated for performing well. And kicking in football is one of the most high-pressure spots in sports.

All eyes are on the kicker whenever he attempts a field goal. If he misses, the blame typically falls squarely on him, unless there is an issue with the snap or hold.

So when kickers consistently perform well, they are compensated accordingly and can stay with teams for long periods of time.

Back on track. Tie game. @jtuck9 drills a 34-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3 just before halftime. pic.twitter.com/Yn55jvTExg
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 17, 2021

Tucker is widely considered the best kicker in the NFL, and he is paid like it. A University of Texas product, he was signed by the Ravens in 2012 and has been with the team ever since.

"Accountability is key," Tucker told the Ravens' in-house reporters in January. "My job is to make the kick in whatever circumstance."

Published 04 Mar 2021, 04:56 IST