With an average of $5.76 million per year, Justin Tucker‘s extension makes him the highest paid kicker in the NFL.
Justin Tucker became the highest paid kicker in the NFL by signing a four-year extension on Wednesday worth $23.05 million, which includes a $12.5 million guaranteed salary for the first two years of his contract along with an $8 million signing bonus.
Tucker’s contract runs through the 2023 season, which gives the Ravens plenty of breathing room. After losing Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley and Za’Darius Smith in free agency, general manager Eric DeCosta made the deal of a lifetime to keep one of his best remaining players. He saw a gem of a player that was still in his prime and would not let him get away. Good move.
Since Tucker originally signed in 2012, his mighty leg has saved the team on more than one occasion. Thirteen, to be exact. He has near perfect accuracy regardless of the weather conditions or the stadium. He quickly became a fan favorite and the spokesman for Royal Farms Chicken in the Baltimore area.
This two-time Pro Bowler never disappoints when he is on the field. Except when he showed the world that he was human. He missed an extra point kick last season during Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints. The score was 24-23, late in the fourth quarter. Tucker’s extra point kick would have tied the game and caused it to go into overtime. When he missed that kick, it was heard, seen and felt around the world. This was the first time since Justin Tucker took the field as a rookie that he missed a PAT. Nonetheless, he got over it and went back to his “Legatron” status on Week 8 and did not miss an extra point or a field goal for the rest of the season.
This seven-year veteran has countless awards and honors including his most recent award, such as being named to the Associated Press All-Pro Team last season, being named AFC Special Teams of the Week nine times, and having the most field goals in a single season with 38. The list goes on and on.
He is the most accurate kicker in NFL history with a 90.1% field goal rate, kicking 237 out of 263. Thanks to the new GM, he made assurances that Tucker will stick around for the next four years.
