What Does A Kicker Make In The Nfl?

A look at the average salary of an NFL kicker and how they are paid.

Introduction

In the National Football League (NFL), the kicker is the member of the special teams who handles placekicks and kickoffs. He is usually distinguished from other players by his elbow pads, which he uses to protect himself during onside kicks. The kicker’s main job is to kick the ball through the goal posts to score points for his team, but he may also be called upon to make tackles on kickoff returns or run downfield as a member of the kicking team.

The average salary of an NFL kicker is $1.2 million per year, making it one of the highest-paid positions in the league. Kickers can earn even more money if they are able to sign bonus contracts with their teams.

What is a Kicker?

A Kicker in football is the player who is responsible for kicking the ball through the goal posts to score points for his team. He may also be called upon to kick off at the start of each half or after a team scores a touchdown. In some cases, he may also be used as a punt returner.

How Much do Kickers Make?

The average salary for an NFL kicker is $1.22 million, with a median salary of $860,000. However, the range is quite large, with the lowest-paid kickers earning $480,000 and the highest-paid kickers earning over $4 million. Rookie kickers generally earn less than veteran kickers, but exceptions do exist. For example, rookie Adrian Peterson earned a base salary of $1.62 million in 2007 while veteran kicker Matt Stover earned a base salary of $885,000.

The Job of a Kicker

When it comes to the National Football League, the kicking game is often overlooked. The phrase “defense wins championships” is repeated often, and it’s true that a good defense can carry a team a long way. But a good kicker can be the difference between winning and losing, especially in close games. That’s why kickers are some of the highest-paid players in the NFL.

So what does a kicker do? A kicker’s job is to score points for his team by kicking the ball through the uprights of the opposing team’s goal posts. The posts are 10 feet tall and 18 feet wide, and they are located at the back of the end zone. A successful kick is worth three points. A field goal attempt can be made from anywhere on the field, but it is most commonly attempted from within 40 yards of the goal posts.

A kickoff is when one team begins play from its own end zone after scoring a touchdown or field goal, or at the start of each half. The purpose of a kickoff is to give the other team poor field position so they will have a harder time scoring. A touchback occurs when the receiving team downs the ball in its own end zone, thereby ending play without having to return it very far.

Punting is when one team kicks the ball away to the other team in order to prevent them from having good field position. Punters typically kick from their own end zone, so their intention is to make sure that the other team will have to start its drive as far away from scoring as possible.

Kickers also sometimes attempt “onside kicks” when their team is behind late in a game and needs to regain possession of the ball quickly in order to have any chance of winning. An onside kick is when the kicking team kicks short so that its own players can recover the ball before any members of the opposing team can get to it. Onside kicks are very risky because if they fail then the other team gets great field position and an almost certain chance of scoring points.

What is the Average Salary of an NFL Kicker?

Kickers in the National Football League (NFL) earn an average salary of $1,015,000, as of 2009. This average salary is the 5th highest among all NFL players. In comparison, the average salary for all NFL players was $1,009,000 during 2009. NFL kickers with the highest salaries in 2009 were Jess Reed of the New York Jets, who earned $2,400,000 per year; Neil Rackers of the Houston Texans, who earned $2,000,000 per year; and Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts, who earned $2,000,000 per year.

The Highest-Paid Kickers in the NFL

In the NFL, kickers are some of the lowest-paid players. In fact, the average salary for a kicker is just over $1 million per year. However, there are a few kickers who are making significantly more than that. Here is a look at the five highest-paid kickers in the NFL.

1. Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens – $5.5 million per year
2. Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders – $4 million per year
3. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions – $3 million per year
4. Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys – $2.8 million per year
5. Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers – $2.4 million per year

The Lowest-Paid Kickers in the NFL

In general, NFL kickers make much less than other types of players. In fact, the average salary for an NFL kicker is just $761,000 per year. That said, there is a wide range of salaries among kicking specialists. The highest-paid kickers in the NFL earn around $4 million per year, while the lowest-paid kickers make just $600,000 or less.

The following list includes the ten lowest-paid kickers in the NFL based on their average annual salaries:

1. Cody Parkey, Chicago Bears – $755,000
2. Kai Forbath, Minnesota Vikings – $775,000
3. Roberto Aguayo, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $780,000
4. Dustin Hopkins, Washington Redskins – $785,000
5. Josh Lambo, Jacksonville Jaguars – $800,000
6. Graham Gano, Carolina Panthers – $2.95 million
7. Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts – $3 million
8. Matt Prater, Detroit Lions – $3 million
9. Chandler Catanzaro, New York Jets – $3.03 million
10. Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots – $4 million

How Much do Rookie Kickers Make?

In their first NFL season, rookie kickers make a salary of $420,000. This is the minimum salary that any player in the NFL can make, regardless of experience. However, most NFL teams will pay their kicker significantly more than the minimum salary. The average salary for an NFL kicker is $1.47 million per year.

What is the Salary Cap for an NFL Kicker?

The average salary for an NFL kicker is $1,470,000 per year. However, the salary cap for an NFL kicker is $2,717,000 per year.

How do Bonuses work for NFL Kickers?

In order to fully understand how an NFL kicker’s salary is structured, it is important to first understand the role of bonuses in an NFL player’s contract. Unlike most other professions, a significant portion of an NFL player’s earnings are paid out in the form of bonuses, rather than as a base salary.

Signing bonuses and roster bonuses are the two most common types of bonuses paid out to NFL players. Signing bonuses are paid to a player as a lump sum when he signs his contract and are typically spread out over the life of the contract. Roster bonuses, on the other hand, are paid to a player each year that he is on an NFL team’s active roster.

While signing bonuses and roster bonuses make up a significant portion of an NFL player’s earnings, they are not the only types of bonuses that an NFL kicker can earn. Other common bonus types include incentive bonuses (which are typically tied to performance-based incentives such as number of field goals made or touchbacks achieved) and Pro Bowl appearances.

Final Thoughts

The average salary for an NFL kicker is $1.56 million, according to Spotrac. However, the top earners at the position make well over $5 million per year. The highest-paid kicker in the NFL is currently Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, who makes an annual salary of $7 million.