by Asher Hirt ’25
December 17, 2024
The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the writer and do not reflect the views of University School of Nashville or the Peabody Press.
The landscape of professional football has undergone a remarkable transformation, with kickers emerging as pivotal players who can impact game outcomes. No longer viewed as a marginal member of the team, kickers have evolved into vital assets whose precision and power will determine victory or defeat.
The evolution of kicking performances is extraordinary. In 1994, the success rate for field goals of 50 yards or longer was a mere 36%. By contrast, today’s kickers currently are converting a staggering 73% of such attempts. This dramatic improvement seems even crazier when compared to the fact that in 1974 such attempts were converted 13%. Even compared five years ago in the 2019 season, NFL kickers in total had 84 successful field goals from 50 and longer while this season the NFL is currently on pace for around 205.
Kickers recently have been so dominant from distance that out of the 42 kicks that have been made from 60 yards plus since the NFL has been established, â…” of these makes have been from the last decade. Keep in mind that the sample goes back to when the NFL was established in 1920.
Kickers are attempting more field goals than ever before, kicking from further than ever before, and are making their kicks more than ever before.
The surge in kicking efficiency can be attributed to several key factors:
- The Rise of sports analytics:
The data does not lie. Teams rely on their kickers in order to win games and kickers accuracy can sometimes decide the outcome of games. Take, for example, the Pittsburgh Steelers this season. So far, the Steelers have managed to score a total of 323 points. This includes the defense scoring, special teams scoring, and the general offense scoring. Out of the 323 total points scored, the Steelers kicker, Chris Boswell, has managed to score 137 points. This represents a 42.4% point share that Chris Boswell alone has for his team. A kicker has scored nearly half of his team’s points who currently have a record of 10-3 and are ranked first in the AFC North.
Not only this, but sports analytics now provide kickers insights into optimal kicking techniques. What angle to hit the ball? How to hit the ball for maximum power? These analyses have changed kicking from an intuitive skill into a more engineered skill that has allowed for kicking efficiency to skyrocket.
- Â Technological advancements/Rule Changes:
Technological advancements have helped soar the ball to new heights as well. The actual football itself has been re-shaped for better aerodynamics, the cleats have evolved for more traction and energy transfer, and field surfaces have become more consistent with better quality. All of these small innovations add up to help kickers. Structural changes in the NFL have further elevated the kicker’s importance.
- Â Coaching:
Similarly in how technology has evolved, coaching around kickers has as well. Last season Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys’ starting kicker, made the second longest field goal ever at 65 yards. Aubrey’s personal kicking coach, Brian Egan, explained in an interview why he thinks it was possible.
“It’s the evolution of the craft, there’s more skill-specific coaches. The trainers are getting better, the workouts are getting better. Everything that’s going into it now, kids are starting to train younger. I just think you’re seeing the evolution on full display right now, where it’s come in the last 10, 15 years to where it is now.”
Young athletes are now training earlier and more systematically, viewing kicking as an art that can be mastered with consistent practice.
Michael Husted, kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1993 to 1998, explained in an interview how back then coaching around kickers was near nonexistent.
“I didn’t have any guidance. I didn’t have any instructors,” Husted said. Instead, he studied the techniques of successful kickers. “I went through all their films and just broke down what the commonalities were that they all shared that made them as good as they were,” he said.
- Money:
Lastly, the financial landscape of professional football has dramatically transformed the kicking position. As teams recognize the critical impact of reliable kickers, they’ve begun investing significantly more resources into recruiting, developing, and retaining top kicking talent. The average NFL kicker’s salary has increased substantially over the years, with top performers now earning eight figure contracts. A decade ago kickers could expect contracts that would average out to around two million a year. This season, kickers on average are making five million a year. The money involved in kicking has attracted more athletes as they view it as a legitimate career path. The money has shown athletes that kicking is a serious profession which has naturally made it to where better athletes are gravitating towards kicking as a potential career path.
All of this raises a common question raised in sports science. Are NFL kickers today more athletic and therefore better than their predecessors? Simply put, the answer is yes. Due to the fact that the culture around kicking has changed, better athletes are gravitating towards this profession. Not only this, but with current NFL kickers receiving elite training facilities and coaches they are able to stay on top of their game.
Looking ahead, assuming that kickers will continue to evolve, kicks should continue to get more accurate and distances should get longer. With current record holder Justin Tucker’s 66 yard field goal in 2021 setting a high bar, one can only imagine the distances kickers might achieve in the coming decades. I think it will not be too long until we see some make a 70 yard field goal.
