The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially given out their first contract extension of the offseason, and it was well deserved. Omar Khan made sure to lock down an important piece of the puzzle. Chris Boswell has signed a four-year extension worth $28 million. At $7 million per year, Boswell ties Brandon Aubrey as the highest-paid kicker of all time. Few players have earned a payday more than Boswell and Aubrey.
Boswell and Aubrey are in a league of their own when it comes to NFL kickers. It’s no surprise that they have earned their paydays. Despite any argument that people might have, nobody is as good as those two. Both players are capable of providing their team with a free three points every time they touch the 50-yard line. That’s valuable in the current state of the NFL. To put it in perspective, the Steelers are tied for the most wins without scoring a touchdown over the last ten years. That’s a testament to how much of a game-changer that Boswell is.
Since 2021, no kicker in the NFL has made more 50+ yard field goals than Boswell’s astonishing 43 with the Steelers. Since he entered the league in 2015, only Matt Prater’s 58 beats Boswell’s 52. What makes Boswell’s career more fascinating is that he does it at Arisure Stadium, an extraordinarily hard place to kick. Ask Tyler Loop. The wind comes off the river and makes things interesting, especially late in the season.
It’s hard to put Boswell’s greatness into words. He is Pittsburgh’s franchise leader in 50+ yard field goals with 52. Gary Anderson and Jeff Reed are tied for second place with eight each. Kicking is a more utilized weapon in today’s NFL, but that gap is insane. Boswell is the best kicker in franchise history, and it isn’t particularly close. When Mike Tomlin famously described him as a serial kicker in pressure moments, he wasn’t exaggerating. The Wizard of Boz doesn’t feel pressure; he just delivers.
Boswell is 94 points shy of being the Steelers’ franchise leader in points. Gary Anderson holds the current record with 1,343 points, but it isn’t safe. The only two times that Boswell hasn’t scored 95 points in a season were due to injuries. If he stays healthy, the record is his this season. A new offensive philosophy could change things, but it’s hard to imagine Boswell not bailing this team out a few times this season. At the end of the day, Boswell is going to do his thing. They wouldn’t extend him to not use him.
Boswell is the last one carrying the torch for the Killer B’s era of Pittsburgh football. Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell are all long gone, but Boswell remains a Steeler, and he’s an all-time great. When he decides to hang up his cleats, he will be a Hall of Famer. His resume includes one All-Pro selection, two Pro Bowl appearances, an NFL record three games with six or more field goals, and an 87.7% field goal percentage. He deserved every penny of this extension.
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