Chris Boswell is angling for a new contract, and it’s tough to blame him. He’s been awfully effective in recent years. For the bulk of his career, really.
Boswell has made at least 90 percent of his field goals seven times in his career. Nobody else has done that. (On the chart below, I’m using 20 field goal attempts per season as the minimum.)
Boswell has done it despite contending with problematic kicking conditions far more often than most at the position.
SEASONS OVER 90 PERCENT | |
---|---|
Kicker | No |
Chris Boswell | 7 |
Nick Folk | 6 |
Justin Tucker | 6 |
Stephen Gostkowski | 5 |
Matt Bryant | 5 |
Adam Vinatieri | 5 |
Dan Bailey | 4 |
Boswell’s effectiveness on long-range kicks has been particularly impressive. He’s made 34 field goals from 50-plus over the last four years – 6 more than anyone else. He’s also made 85 percent of his last 40 attempts on those kicks.
In the last four years, 23 kickers have attempted at least 20 field goals from 50-plus. Only one has been more accurate than Boswell (who’s been able to overcome weather problems).
50-YARD FIELD GOALS (last 4 yrs) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Kicker | FG | FGA | Pct |
Brandon Aubrey | 24 | 27 | .889 |
Chris Boswell | 34 | 40 | .850 |
Ka'imi Fairbairn | 28 | 34 | .824 |
Chase McLaughlin | 28 | 34 | .824 |
Nick Folk | 20 | 25 | .800 |
Graham Gano | 20 | 25 | .800 |
Cairo Santos | 19 | 24 | .792 |
Cameron Dicker | 16 | 21 | .762 |
Matt Prater | 22 | 29 | .759 |
Daniel Carlson | 25 | 34 | .735 |
Jason Myers | 22 | 31 | .710 |
Joey Slye | 17 | 24 | .708 |
Evan McPherson | 24 | 35 | .686 |
Jake Elliott | 16 | 24 | .667 |
Dustin Hopkins | 14 | 21 | .667 |
Harrison Butker | 17 | 26 | .654 |
Younghoe Koo | 20 | 31 | .645 |
Jason Sanders | 21 | 33 | .636 |
Matt Gay | 22 | 36 | .611 |
Justin Tucker | 22 | 36 | .611 |
Brandon McManus | 21 | 35 | .600 |
Greg Joseph | 16 | 28 | .571 |
Greg Zuerlein | 13 | 23 | .565 |
As well as he’s played, Boswell is looking at the financial landscape of the league, feeling it’s time to get his contract adjusted. He signed a four-year deal worth $20 million back in 2022, which has turned into a team-friendly deal. He currently ranks 11th in average pay among kickers, and he has two years left on the deal.
Harrison Butker is currently the highest-paid kicker, with an average of $6.4 million, while the other Pennsylvania kicker, Jake Elliott, averages $6.0 million. That’s probably the kind of range Boswell is shooting for.
Whether he can get it remains to be seen. The Steelers have other financial concerns, and they might feel they can get by with a more modestly priced kicker, if necessary.
—Ian Allan