Football Kickers: Best NFL Kickers All Time and 2022 Season
The kicker is one of the most stressful positions in all of American Football, and for good reason- whole football games, and even football seasons when it comes to the playoffs, can be decided by a missed field goal or a made extra point. Kickers often aren't big names until they screw up, like the way that many NFL fans know Cody Parkey for his double doink missed kick for the Chicago Bears in the 2018 NFC Wild Card Game, but few know David Akers, who made the most field goals in a NFL season.
Like Charlie Brown kicking the football, the misses are iconic and the makes are far from note-worthy. So let's dive in on what makes a kicker and who the best are.
What does a kicker do?
A kicker has three main responsibilities.
- Kickoffs: Kickoffs happen in three different circumstances: at the start of the game, at the start of the second half, and a field goal or touchdown is scored
- Kicking extra points: Extra points occur immediately after a touchdown is scored, and are worth one point. Some teams may elect to go to a two-point conversion, which is any play other than a traditional field goal after a touchdown
- Kicking field goals: Field goals are worth three points, and can be kicked from anywhere on the field. Teams will usually call for a field goal if they are within the kicker’s range on fourth down, as well as if there’s only a few seconds left in the game or half and three points can either tie or win the game. A missed field goal results in a change of possession at the spot of the kick.
What is an onside kick?
An onside kick is another important duty of any kicker. The onside kick is the alternative to the kickoff that happens after a score, and the goal is to get the kicking team the ball back right away instead of having to play defense.
On an onside kick, the kicker kicks the ball short and his team attempts to recover it once it gets past ten yards from the spot of the kick. It is often unsuccessful, but on the rare occasion it succeeds, it can be very beneficial. The risk that the kicking team faces is that failure to recover the onside kick results in the receiving team getting very good field position.
What is the longest field goal in NFL history?
Justin Tucker, the most accurate kicker in NFL history, broke the record for longest field goal in exciting fashion in 2021. His 66-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions to win the game broke Matt Prater’s record of a 64-yard field goal with the Broncos. However, none of that measures up to the longest college football field goal, a 69-yard field goal by Ove Johansson for Abilene Christian University.
Best Kickers in the 2022 NFL Season
Player | FGM | FGA | FG% | XPM | XPA | XP% | 1-39 | 40-49 | 50+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Justin Tucker, Ravens | 37 | 43 | 86.0% | 31 | 32 | 96.9% | 24-24 | 4-5 | 9-14 |
2. Jason Myers, Seahawks | 34 | 37 | 91.9% | 41 | 42 | 97.6% | 24-25 | 4-6 | 6-6 |
3. Daniel Carlson, Raiders | 34 | 37 | 91.9% | 35 | 36 | 97.2% | 20-20 | 3-4 | 11-13 |
4. Eddie Pineiro, Panthers | 33 | 35 | 94.3 | 30 | 32 | 93.8% | 18-19 | 13-14 | 2-2 |
5. Nick Folk, Patriots | 32 | 37 | 86.5% | 32 | 35 | 91.4% | 18-18 | 10-14 | 4-5 |
6. Y. Koo, Falcons | 32 | 37 | 86.5% | 33 | 35 | 94.3% | 16-16 | 9-10 | 7-11 |
7. Ryan Succop, Buccaneers | 31 | 38 | 81.6% | 24 | 25 | 96.0 | 17-19 | 12-12 | 2-7 |
8. Greg Zuerlein, Jets | 30 | 37 | 81.1% | 28 | 29 | 96.6% | 15-15 | 9-11 | 6-11 |
9. C. McLaughlin, Colts | 30 | 36 | 83.3% | 21 | 21 | 100% | 12-13 | 9-11 | 9-12 |
10.Patterson, Jaguars | 30 | 35 | 85.7% | 36 | 37 | 97.3% | 18-19 | 10-13 | 2-3 |
11. Graham Gano, Giants | 29 | 32 | 90.6% | 32 | 34 | 94.1% | 11-12 | 10-11 | 8-9 |
12. Brett Maher, Cowboys | 29 | 32 | 90.6% | 50 | 53 | 94.3% | 14-14 | 6-7 | 9-11 |
13. Fairbairn, Texans | 29 | 31 | 93.5% | 24 | 24 | 100.0% | 14-15 | 9-10 | 6-6 |
ESPN.com
Ranking the best placekickers in NFL history
1. Adam Vinatieri
- New England Patriots (1996-2005), Indianapolis Colts (2006-2019)
- Career Highlights: 4X Super Bowl Champion, 3X First Team All-Pro, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time team, 3X Pro Bowl, NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
- Records: Most career points scored in NFL history (2,673), most consecutive field goals made (44), most combined regular season and postseason games played (397), most career field goals made (599), most career field goal attempts (715), most seasons with 100+ points (21), most overtime field goals (11), tied for most field goals made in a single postseason (14- 2006)
2. Morten Andersen
- New Orleans Saints (1982-1994), Atlanta Falcons (1995-2000), New York Giants (2001), Kansas City Chiefs (2002-2003), Minnesota Vikings (2004), Atlanta Falcons (2006-2007)
- Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame 5X First Team All-Pro, 7X Pro Bowl, 2X Golden Toe Award, NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
- Records: Most career games played (382), most consecutive games scoring (360), tied for most 50+ field goals made in a game (3)
3. Justin Tucker
- Baltimore Ravens (2012-present)
- Career Highlights: Super Bowl Champion, 5X First Team All-Pro, 3X Second Team All-Pro, 6X Pro Bowl, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
- NFL Records: Highest career field goal percentage (90.5%), longest made field goal (66YDS), tied for most 50+ yard field goals in a game (3), first NFL player to kick a field goal from the 20-, 30-, 40-, 50-, and 60-yard range in the same game, fastest kicker to reach 1,000 points, first player with 30 or more field goals made in six different seasons
- New England Patriots (2006-2019), Tennessee Titans (2020)
- Career Highlights: 3X Super Bowl Champion, 2X First Team All-Pro, 4X Pro Bowl, 5X NFL Scoring Leader, NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
- NFL Records: Most consecutive extra points made (523), tied for most seasons leading the league in points scored (5)
5. Gary Anderson
- Buffalo Bills (1982), Pittsburgh Steelers (1982-1994), Philadelphia Eagles (1995-1996), San Francisco 49ers (1997), Minnesota Vikings (1998-2002), Tennessee Titans (2003-2004)
- Career Highlights: 2X First Team All-Pro, 4X Pro Bowl, 1989 NFL Scoring Leader, NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, NFL 1990s All-Decade Team
6. Jan Stenerud
- Kansas City Chiefs (1967-1979), Green Bay Packers (1980-1983), Minnesota Vikings (1984-1985)
- Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame, Super Bowl Champion, 4X First Team All-Pro, 4X Pro Bowl, 2X Second Team All-Pro, NFL 75th Anniversary Team, NFL 100th Anniversary Team, Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame, Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
7. George Blanda
- Chicago Bears (1949), Baltimore Colts (1950), Chicago Bears (1950-1958), Houston Oilers (1960-1966), Oakland Raiders (1967-1975).
- Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame
- NFL Records: Most seasons played (26), most career extra points made (943), most career extra points attempted (959), tied for most touchdown passes in a game (7)
8. Lou Groza
- Cleveland Browns (1946-1959, 1961-1967)
- Career Highlights: Pro Football Hall of Fame, NFL MVP, 4X NFL Champion, 4X First Team All-Pro, 2X Second Team All-Pro, 9X Pro Bowl, 1957 NFL Scoring Leader, NFL 1950s All-Decade Team, NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
9. Jason Hanson
- Detroit Lions (1992-2012)
- Career Highlights: College Football Hall of Fame, 2X Pro Bowl, Detroit Lions All-Time Team
- NFL Records: Most seasons played with one team (21), most games played with one team (327)
10. Jason Elam
- Denver Broncos (1993-2007), Atlanta Falcons (2008-2009)
- Career Highlights: 2X Super Bowl Champion, 3X Second Team All-Pro, 3X Pro Bowl, Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team
Writer Bio
Blaise is a Freshman at the University of Missouri, studying Journalism at the world-renowned J school. He is the host of the Fast Five Podcast with his Childhood friend Sam Sinclair and interns with the Sports AI platform Pine Sports. He is a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and the St Louis. Cardinals and hopes to cover them professionally in his near future.