Who's the Highest-Paid Kicker in the NFL?

A 29-year-old former Auburn Tiger, Carlson started his career by struggling through two games with the Vikings, but then he landed with the then-Oakland Raiders and by the time the franchise moved to Las Vegas for the 2020 season, he was (and still is) one of the best kickers in the league.

Gay spent a year with the Buccaneers, then three with the Rams (including the Super Bowl LVI-winning season), before signing the big-money free-agent deal with the Colts in 2023 that got him onto this list.

A sensation even before he became one of the sport's best kickers due to his unique backstory, Koo gets paid well these days because he's nice, having converted 154-174 FGAs in his career (89 percent).

Even more than his regular-season numbers, Butker is well-known (and well-paid) because of all his post-season success. The Chiefs' title-winning run with Patrick Mahomes' has included lots of big kick opportunities, and Butker has converted almost all of them. Just don't invite him to give any more commencement speeches...

"Greg the Leg" hasn't totally lived up to the hype that accompanied his 2012 arrival in the NFL as the first small-college kicker drafted by the NFL since 2006, but he has hung around a long time and, if the Jets are to be half as good as their fans are dreaming of, the recently re-signed Zuerlein will be a big part of it.

A Saint since he entered the league in 2016, Lutz was lured to Denver before the 2023 season by the money that got him onto our top-10 list.

An extremely well-traveled kicker since he entered the NFL in 2019, Lutz played for *deep breath* the Chargers, Niners, Colts, Jaguars, Jets, Browns and Colts again before landing with the Bucs before 2023 season and making his mark with a 29-31 performance on field goals that convinced the NFC-South winning squad to give him a three-year deal to stay in Tampa Bay.

One of the game's greatest kickers from 2010-2022, the wheels effectively fell off for Gano last season when he struggled with injuries and made just 11-17 field goals. Needless to say, Giant fans expect a big comeback this season or his career is probably finished...

The Texans are a hot pick to go deep in the postseason next year thanks to their young QB-Coach combo of CJ Stroud and DeMeco Ryans. If it happens, kicking could be the difference. Luckily for the Texans, they've got a good one in Fairbairn, the 30-year-old UCLA product who grew up in Hawaii.

Low-key one of the most popular E-A-G-L-E-S, Jake "The Make" is a 29-year-old with a propensity for nailing kicks when Philly needs them most. So look at the little formula we came up with: Rabid fan base + big games + hitting clutch kicks=Highest-Paid Kicker in the NFL, both this year and beyond.