What NFL team has no kicker?
Right now, the Jacksonville Jaguars don't have a kicker on their roster after releasing Ryan Santoso this morning. Santoso, who signed with the Jaguars back in March, was let go as the team elected to bring back quarterback Jake Luton.
Tommy Davis has the lowest career field-goal percentage by a kicker, hitting 47.1 percent.
Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez has 'significant' groin injury, season in doubt. The Carolina Panthers won their final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills Friday night, 21-0, but they did suffer a couple of losses.
In total, the 44 kickers on the books in the NFL for the 2022-23 season make around $110 million combined. That puts the average kicker salary at around $2.5 million.
The Panthers put kicker Zane Gonzalez on injured reserve Tuesday after he suffered a groin injury while warming up on the sidelines in the preseason finale.
| TEAM | GP | FG MISS |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 353 | 145 |
| Washington Football Team | 353 | 144 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 353 | 137 |
| New York Jets | 353 | 133 |
Sebastian Janikowski, Oakland Raiders
He gives the Raiders the opportunity for points every time he lines up for a kick. His leg is arguably the strongest in the NFL. Janikowski's 63-yard field goal against the Denver Broncos is tied for the longest in NFL history.
1. Justin Tucker. Tucker shot to the top of this list as a result of what has been a dominant career thus far. He not only is the most accurate kicker in NFL history, but he's also the record-holder for the longest field goal ever made (66 yards, 2021).
Justin Tucker, Ravens
No one does that better than Tucker. Over the course of his career, he's made 91.1% of his kicks, which makes him the most accurate kicker in NFL history.
| Play | Position | Roster |
|---|---|---|
| Defense | Defensive Linemen | 9 |
| Defense | Linebackers | 7 |
| Defense | Defensive Backs | 10 |
| Special | Kicker | 1 |
Are there back up kickers in NFL?
If a club plays a 3-4 base defense, the team will keep more linebackers than defensive linemen. If a team does not have a strong-legged kicker, that club may keep two kickers on the roster. One player for field goals and the other to kick the football off.
Over the 20-year surveillance period, there were a total of 488 reported injuries affecting all kickers for an average of 24 injuries per year. There were a total of 264 kickers on NFL rosters during this period—134 placekickers and 130 punters.
On average, NFL waterboys make $53,000 per year (according to Stack.com). However, that's just the salary for beginners. For professionals, their salary can be higher as any other highest paid NFL waterboy.
According to information from various data sources, the average NFL cheerleader salary is $150 per game day. They also receive about $50 – $75 for one public appearance. The cheerleaders' job is more like performing. To get those sexy and hot performances, they had to go through a lot of things.
The answer: It's a big pay day. According to various sites, including USA Today, the average NFL referee salary was set at $205,000 per year starting in 2019. TWO-HUNDRED-AND-FIVE-THOUSAND-DOLLARS! That average salary is more than some doctors.
Being a kicker in the NFL is not only incredibly difficult, but extremely thankless. There's no real “win” for a kicker. They either “do their job” or they're on a flight back to their hometown rather than the team facility. They don't get the benefit of the doubt or number of chances that other positions do.
Very few NFL teams have a coach working exclusively with kickers. Most have a special teams coordinator and an assistant, but they're tasked with all returners, kick coverage and protection units. The Ravens, coached by former special teams coordinator John Harbaugh, have a kicking coach on staff in Randy Brown.
Kickers are the highest scoring players in the NFL because they get the most real scoring chances. Every time his team scores a touchdown, he gets the chance to score a point. Every time his team gets to the 35, he gets the chance to score three points. If his offense is good, the kicker can rack up a ton of points.