If there’s one silver lining to Steelers K Chris Boswell wanting more money, it’s this: Relatively speaking, kickers are cheap. For context, the highest APY for a kicker right now is $6.4 million, and the highest cap number is $6,825,000. At the moment, Boswell fits pretty comfortably below those numbers despite being first-team All-Pro.
So, what is the solution?
“I think when you have an established NFL kicker — and there’s usually not many of them — I’m almost of the mind [that] you hold your nose and just pay the kicker,” Steve Palazzolo said while speaking about Chris Boswell on 93.7 The Fan. “Just get it done. Because no one wants to step into this uncertainty of the kicking world.”
Palazzolo noted that the Ravens are stepping into that world this year, having moved on from Justin Tucker. They’ve had arguably the greatest kicker of all time for over a decade, and they now have a rookie of unproven reliability. Boswell has had a couple off years during his career but is one of the most accurate kickers of all time.
On top of that, after making 13 field goals of 50-plus yards last season, he now has the 11th-most connections from distance in NFL history. Boswell should make serious progress on the all-time leaderboard in 2025, given most ahead of him are retired. Feasibly, he could move up to fourth all-time, that position currently occupied by Jason Hanson’s 52. He is nine behind at 43. That is if he outpaces some currently active kickers like Brandon McManus and Graham Gano.
Back in 2022, the Steelers signed Chris Boswell to a four-year, $20 million extension. In the three years since then, he has fallen outside the top 10 salaries at his position. Meanwhile, he set franchise records last season and led the NFL in made field goals. Over the past two seasons, he is 70 of 75, including 19 of 22 from 50-plus yards. The Steelers have won multiple games in which their only scoring came from his foot.
Back to the Ravens, Palazzolo warned that “their season could be on the line based off a few kicks here and there.” Like the Steelers with Boswell, Baltimore had relative security with Tucker for years. That’s why, Palazzolo concluded, “if you have someone that is that consistent and kicking well you just do it.”
While Pittsburgh isn’t likely at risk of losing Boswell’s services this year. It’s generally good business sense to appropriately accommodate your highest performers. He is currently under contract through 2026, with base salaries of $3,120,000 in each year and nothing else coming to him. Our own Dave Bryan has been beating this drum all offseason and posed a reasonable solution on Thursday.
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