Baltimore Ravens Kicker Justin Tucker signs deal making him the top paid kicker in the NFL. What does the average kicker maker?
Justin Tucker got a four-year contract extension worth an average of $6 million a year from Baltimore making him the top paid player at his position.
The Baltimore Ravens have agreed to a four-year contract extension with one of their most important players. No. It’s not Lamar Jackson. It’s their place kicker Justin Tucker.
Tucker the most accurate kicker ever
Tucker signed deal worth an average of $6 million a year on Monday, just days before the Ravens first preseason game. He has been the Ravens place kicker for the last decade is the most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL, having converted 326 of his 358 attempted field goals for a career average of 91.1%.
As a rookie he was a decisive part of the 2012 Ravens team that won the Super Bowl thanks to two field goals he made in the fourth quarter. Over the course of his career he has kicked 18 game winning field goals including the longest field goal ever. It came last year in the waining seconds of a game against the Detroit Lions. From 66 yards away, three yards farther than the previous record, Tucker laced the game winner through the uprights to secure the regular season win and take sole possession of the record.
Tucker is, with good reason, the highest payed kicker in the league at $6 million a year. He is not the only kicker getting paid handsomely around the league. Chris Boswell of the Pittsburgh Steelers is getting $5 million a year, Atlanta’s Younghoe Koa is at $4.8 million, New York Giants’ kicker Graham Gano is at $4.66 million and Oakland’s Daniel Carlson round out of the top five at $4.6 million.
Top kickers make less than top position players
The NFL average salary for a kicker is around $3 million. There is only one kicker currently under contract that makes the league minimum of $660,000. That’s Detroit’s Riley Patterson, who is the 43rd ranked kicker on the rich list.
While these guys are some of the best in the game, and can determine wether a team wins or loses, they aren’t paid like some of the biggest stars in the game. Even though they are immensely important to the team, they don’t participate in 11 on 11 drills. They may be involved in some trick play set ups. But when you compare it to the rest of the position players, they don’t take the beating that everyone else does.
Green Bay gun slinger Aaron Rodgers is the top dog on the NFL rich list averaging just over $50 million a year. The eleven players on that list are quarterbacks before we get to Super Bowl Champion and LA Ram Aaron Donald who earns $31 million a year.
After signing his new contract, Tucker is tied for 327th on the NFL rich list. All things considered his $6 million still isn’t anything to turn your nose at. It’s true that kickers face more pressure situations than most of the other players on the field other than a quarterback. That’s why when the game is on the line, they have to put their money where their mouth is.