The Steelers are signing place kicker Chris Boswell to a new contract, making him one of the highest-paid kickers in NFL history, according to ESPN.
Boswell, who turned 31 in March and has been the Steelers’ kicker since 2015, was entering the final year of a four-year contract he signed in 2018.
“I guess we’ll see,” Boswell said Thursday when asked if he’ll still be doing this well into his 30s and even early 40s like other longtime kickers. “That’s always the dream and the goal, ... to play as long as I can, but we’ll see where it goes from here.”
Boswell will earn $20 million over four years. The only other kicker who has earned $5 million per season is Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, who signed his four-year, $20 million deal in 2020. He has two more years remaining on his deal.
“Everyone’s just trying to be their best self, depending on their team, and what they're paying is not up to anybody else,” Boswell said last week.
Boswell is one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history. He has made 90% or more of his field-goal attempts in five of his seven seasons with the Steelers.
The new contract brings Boswell full circle with the Steelers. In 2019, after he made just 65% of his attempts in 2018, the Steelers pushed back Boswell’s $2 million roster bonus until after the final preseason game. In essence, Boswell had to make the 53-man roster in order to collect the money in his contract.
Boswell earned the job and responded by making 29 of his 31 attempts that season. He was even better in 2020 when he made 19 of 20 attempts. Last season, he made 36 of 40 attempts.
With Boswell’s deal done, the Steelers can now turn their full attention to receiver Diontae Johnson, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Johnson continues to “hold in” and not practice during training camp.
