Contract details finally emerged on the agreement between kicker Wil Lutz and the New Orleans Saints, which will make him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. The details were first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The Saints signed Lutz to a five-year contract extension worth $20.25 million, including $9.2 million in guarantees. Only Baltimore Ravens folk hero Justin Tucker received higher guarantees than Lutz ($10.8 million), and the $4.05 million per-year number ties Green Bay Packers kicker Mason Crosby for the fifth-highest in the NFL. Tennessee Titans kicker Ryan Succop comes closest in total value with his $20 million contract, which Lutz has now surpassed.
It’s a big commitment for the Saints to make, but it’s well-deserved. Lutz has kicked for the Saints over the last three years, making 87 of his 100 attempts in the regular season and improving by the year. He broke Saints legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Morten Andersen’s Saints record for accuracy by connecting on 28 of his 30 attempts in the 2018 season.
This is the latest move the Saints have made to secure their special teams units in the wake of Darren Rizzi’s hire as special teams coordinator. Rizzi will coach the Saints for the first time in 2019 after spending most of the last decade in the same role with the Miami Dolphins. The Saints now have each of their specialists under contract for the forseeable future in Lutz and punter Thomas Morstead. Core special teams aces Justin Hardee, Chris Banjo, and Craig Robertson all returned this offseason as well.
