Gostkowski needs an extension

[ctpatsfan77]

This needs to happen, IMO, for a number of reasons:

• He is kicking better than he ever has. This isn't surprising, but what makes it exciting is that history suggests that kickers with long careers tend to peak after age 30, not before. In other words, he can get better.
• Belichick trusts him completely. A 53-yarder after missing from 36 because of a botched snap? Sure, why not!
• He's one of the top ten most accurate kickers in NFL history, despite almost never playing in a dome, and he's the most prolific scorer in NFL history (he reached 1,000 points in just 119 games played).
• He's not just a kicker, he's a football player (see: Buffalo, 2009).
• If he leaves, the Patriots might end up going through a debacle like the 2014 Lions, after nearly 20 years of above-average to outstanding kicking.
• Most importantly, anyone doubt that the Donkeys would just love to get Gostkowski, and let him kick in Denver's thin air, Brandon McManus be damned?

 

[Ozymandias]

He's definitely one of the most underrated and unappreciated Patriots of the past 8 years. He's been such a consistent weapon for them in the kicking game and has always been a reliable option for them when called upon. That's why it was so shocking to see people wanting the team to move on from him. He's been everything you could want in a kicker and should be well compensated for that.

It Gost to be good, so he Gost to be paid.

 

[mgteich]

We should CONTINUE to pay the man, and I expect that Belichick will. But, let's not pretend that Belichick isn't paying top dollar.

BTW, Gostkowski is being paid over $3M a year over his 5 year contract. Not many kickers have been paid that kind of money, certainly not when he was extended in 2010.

Gostkowski has the 2nd highest salary now on a contract signed in 2010.

He will likely be the highest paid kicked in the league when he re-signs.

 

[supafly]

There was a point maybe last year or the year before when I wasn't feeling too confident about Gostkowski.

That has changed dramatically, and I agree that he is kicking at an extremely high level. I think he's on the "must sign" list for sure.

 

[meatface]

I just wonder what contract Ghost would get. A repeat of his 2010 extension seems unlikely but how much of a raise would he get?

 

[dales804]

There was a point maybe last year or the year before when I wasn't feeling too confident about Gostkowski.

That has changed dramatically, and I agree that he is kicking at an extremely high level. I think he's on the "must sign" list for sure.

Many wanted him gone. It really gained steam after he missed the kick against AZ in 2012.

 

[Galeb]

Ghost is a keeper.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I just wonder what contract Ghost would get. A repeat of his 2010 extension seems unlikely but how much of a raise would he get?

Not much, honestly. I think Dan Bailey's contract—$3.2M/year, albeit for 7(!) years—more-or-less sets the market.

While Gostkowski is better than Bailey, IMO, I don't think it's enough that he's going to earn, say, $5M a year (unless he reaches FA and Denver becomes desperate). I see $4M a year as about the maximum he'll get.

 

[BradyFTW!]

We should CONTINUE to pay the man, and I expect that Belichick will. But, let's not pretend that Belichick isn't paying top dollar.

BTW, Gostkowski is being paid over $3M a year over his 5 year contract. Not many kickers have been paid that kind of money, certainly not when he was extended in 2010.

Gostkowski has the 2nd highest salary now on a contract signed in 2010.

He will likely be the highest paid kicked in the league when he re-signs.

Agreed, Gost is already making elite kicker money (well-deserved). If the Pats want to continue paying that, I'm on board. And let's not downplay the fact that he blasts most kicks out the back of the end zone. That's not as valuable now as it was a few years ago before the kickoff distance was changed, but he still does it as reliably as anyone and that counts for something.

If the Pats elect to pay him Dan Bailey money, I'm fine with that.

 

[fxkane]

There was a point maybe last year or the year before when I wasn't feeling too confident about Gostkowski.

That has changed dramatically, and I agree that he is kicking at an extremely high level. I think he's on the "must sign" list for sure.

I second this. He's amazing this year both with the kickoffs and field goals.

 

[meatface]

Not much, honestly. I think Dan Bailey's contract—$3.2M/year, albeit for 7(!) years—more-or-less sets the market.

While Gostkowski is better than Bailey, IMO, I don't think it's enough that he's going to earn, say, $5M a year (unless he reaches FA and Denver becomes desperate). I see $4M a year as about the maximum he'll get.

idk if he actually will make more than Bailey, he is already one of the highest paid kickers in the NFL so i doubt he will get to $4 million.

 

[Galeb]

With Tony Dungy no longer coaching, I suspect Gost will remain a Patriot for a long time.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

idk if he actually will make more than Bailey, he is already one of the highest paid kickers in the NFL so i doubt he will get to $4 million.

FWIW, his average salary, over the five years of his contract, was about $3.2M/year. His 2014 cap hit is $3.8M.

And for those wondering, here are the top 25 average kicker salaries:

http://www.spotrac.com/rankings/nfl/average/kicker/limit-25/

Nine kickers have contracts averaging $3M+, and 14 at ~$2.5M+.

 

[meatface]

FWIW, his average salary, over the five years of his contract, was about $3.2M/year. His 2014 cap hit is $3.8M.

And for those wondering, here are the top 25 average kicker salaries:

http://www.spotrac.com/rankings/nfl/average/kicker/limit-25/

Nine kickers have contracts averaging $3M+, and 14 at ~$2.5M+.

still nobody has topped $4 million and i dont know if Gostkowski will do it either.

 

[Gronkandez]

just franchise tag him for two or three years when his contract is up. They could use those millions of cap space on OL.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

just franchise tag him for two or three years when his contract is up. They could use those millions of cap space on OL.

Franchising him doesn't save any money on the cap; the franchise number for kickers is already about $3.6M, which is about what they'd have to pay him.

 

[JMC00]

Friggen Aiken.

 

[Gronkandez]

Franchising him doesn't save any money on the cap; the franchise number for kickers is already about $3.6M, which is about what they'd have to pay him.

I mean they would save money on the cap once they stop franchising him and pick up another guy. I don't think you can pay a kicker upwards of $4M/yr over multiple years.

 

[Miguel]

just franchise tag him for two or three years when his contract is up. They could use those millions of cap space on OL.

Per the CBA, That would make his 2015 cap number $3.96 million, 120% of his 2014 cap number of $3.3 million.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I mean they would save money on the cap once they stop franchising him and pick up another guy. I don't think you can pay a kicker upwards of $4M/yr over multiple years.

Why should they "pick up another guy"?

There is no fundamental reason why Gostkowski can't be kicking 10 years from now, and no reason to believe a replacement would be as good.