 The Patriots gave Gostkowski the franchise tag designation Monday. (USA TODAY Images) |
When Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri headed off to Indianapolis back in 2006, New England was left with quite the dilemma after losing one of the most clutch kickers in franchise history.
Given how much of an inexact science the NFL draft is, they were fortunate that year to grab Stephen Gostkowski in the fourth round in April and he's quietly been better than the Patriots could have ever hoped for given the man whose shoes he ended up filling.
He had a decent start to his career after finishing 20-of-26 (76.9) during his rookie season, including a perfect 1-of-1 from 50+ yards. He finished the 2014 season with a career high kicking percentage of 94.6%, which was also a single-season record for the Patriots while becoming the team's all-time leading scorer during their victory over Miami on December 14th. He currently has 1,179 career points.
On Monday as he approached free agency, New England made sure they didn't let him get away after giving him the franchise designation. The deal, if he signs it, is reportedly worth $4.5 million in 2015, although according to the team it sounds like the goal is to get a long-term deal done with the veteran out of the University of Memphis.
"Stephen has been extremely productive and a vital component to our success since joining our team in 2006," said the team via the statement they released. "Utilizing the franchise designation allows both sides more time to try to reach an agreement, which is the goal."
The Patriots tagged Vinatieri twice, locking up him up in 2002 which later lead to a 3-year extension. "Both the Patriots and Adam are excited," his agent, Neil Cornrich told the AP at the time. "Adam is looking forward to having the opportunity to remain a Patriot the rest of his career." When the deal ran out they tagged him again in 2005, but it only ended up being for one year. He left for good at the end of the season.
For Gostkowski, the question will be whether or not New England will get a deal done long-term with the veteran, who turned 31 back in January. Obviously at this point no deal has been reached nor has he signed the tender, but our own Miguel Benzan recently proposed a potential 5-year deal, with $19 million as a value that might make sense along with a $5 million signing bonus. As Benzan points out, such a deal would make Stephen the highest paid kicker with an APY of $3.8 million and give New England a salary cap figure that would work for the team.
For now that's all just speculation, but we'll have to wait and see what the two sides eventually agree to.
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