Steelers' Chris Boswell extension ties him for highest-paid kicker in NFL history: report
Boswell was 8-for-9 from 50 yards and beyond in 2021
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the 2022 season with great uncertainty at the quarterback position following the retirement of franchise cornerstone Ben Roethlisberger.
And while Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will have to worry about whether Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph or Kenny Pickett gives him the best chance to win, the kicking game won’t be a source of constant headache for the organization.
Chris Boswell of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts after missing a field goal against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Dec. 9, 2021, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Steelers signed kicker Chris Boswell to a four-year, $20 million extension on Monday, according to ESPN. The extension ties him with Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker as the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.
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Boswell has spent his entire seven-year career in Pittsburgh, entering the league in 2015. The new deal will keep Boswell in a Steelers uniform through the 2026 season and he will enter the season as the second-longest tenured Steeler behind Cameron Heyward.
In five of his seven seasons, Boswell has connected on over 90% of his field goal attempts, making a career-high 36 field goals in 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell talks with Chiefs kicker Elliot Fry before their game on Dec 26, 2021, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Since Boswell burst onto the scene in 2015, he ranks second in the NFL with a field goal percentage of 88.3%.
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"This was always the dream, but by now it’s reality, so it feels good, but I am not done yet," Boswell said last week, according to the Tribune-Review. "I won’t look back until a later date."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell leaves the field after the Bengals game on Nov. 28, 2021, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Boswell, who made eight of nine kicks from beyond 50 yards in 2021, was always confident that a deal would get done before the start of the 2022 regular season.
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"I am sure. I am sure," Boswell said Thursday when asked about a potential deal, according to the Tribune-Review. "But I am here to kick, and I am here to do what I can for the team. I am not here to think about a contract or numbers.
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"I am going to go out there (and work). I made it that way this far in my career, so I am not going to start worrying about that (contract situation) now."
Pittsburgh opens its regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals in week one.