The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pair of players left that they need to sign to extensions before the season ends. The most obvious is receiver Diontae Johnson, who will likely command a contract that pays him over 20 million per season. But the biggest one that isn't getting as much airtime is Chris Boswell. In a league with a ton of turnover at the kicker position, the Steelers have found consistency with Boswell since 2015.
Chris Boswell warms up prior to the Steelers and Las Vegas Raiders game in September 2021. // Photo JSKO_PHOTO (twitter)
In 2015 the Steelers lost starting kicker Shaun Suisham to what would end up being a career ending knee injury. It happened during the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio prior to the new stadium being constructed. The turf at the old Tom Benson Stadium was some of the worst in NFL history. The season after Suisham was injured the game was actually cancelled after field workers used incorrect paint to paint the turf. The field was ruled unsafe, and the game was cancelled within hours of kickoff.
After Suisham was lost, they signed Garrett Hartley but he was injured just two weeks later in the preseason. From there the Steelers traded for long time Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee. Scobee at the time was still considered a solid NFL kicker, but when he arrived in Pittsburgh it all fell apart. After missing 4 field goals in 3 games the Steelers released Scobee and signed Boswell after a tryout at Heinz Field.
Boswell quickly fixed the Steelers field goal woes. He converted 29 of 32 field goal attempts in 2015, including a 51-yard field goal. From there Boswell solidified himself as one of the best kickers in the NFL.
“The moment is never too big for Boz,” Cam Heyward said last season. “I know everybody talks about the guy in Baltimore. He’s a great kicker. Boz is a great kicker, as well. We always tease him, they’re 1A and 1B.
Last season Boswell set a franchise record with 36 field goals on 40 attempts. He was 8-of-9 from 50-plus yards and won 4 games with field goals either late in the game or in overtime. When it matters most Boswell is at his best. In the playoffs Boswell has never missed a field goal converting on 16 of 16 kicks.
Coming off the best season of his career the Steelers are going to have to show him the money. And when I say show him the money, I mean a very modest raise from what he's currently making.
Earlier this offseason the Atlanta Falcons made Younghoe Koo the second highest paid kicker in the NFL with an average salary of 4.85 million per year. Boswell currently is the 9th highest paid kicker in the NFL with an average salary of 4.2 million per year. Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is the highest paid at 5 million per season.
2019 rankings from PFF.com
In 2020 Boswell restructured his contract to help the Steelers gain some salary cap room and he pushed a lot of his cap hit into 2022. As it stands right now Boswell has a cap hit of 4.9 million. If Boswell gets a new contract that pays him just over Tucker's 5 million it would be a very minimal addition to the Steelers current salary cap situation.
In 2018 Boswell inked a 4 year 16-million-dollar deal. This time around the Steelers could look to lock him up until he's 35 with a 4 year 22-million-dollar deal. That would give Boswell the title of highest paid kicker in NFL history for the time being. That is until Tucker receives his next contract. With last year being Boswell's best season and kickers being able to perform well into their 30s there should be zero concern with the length of the deal for the Steelers.
Boswell would join TJ Watt, and Minkah Fitzpatrick as the highest paid at their positions. And it would be well deserved like the others.
