Earlier this year Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski was given the franchise tag designation, with the veteran signing his tender back on March 6th that will see him earn a guaranteed salary of $4.6 million for 2015.
That's good news for New England, who now has him at least under contract for the 2015 season. He's coming off of a career season that ended with Gostkowski winning his first Super Bowl championship, while also quietly establishing himself as one of the best kickers in the game.
Gostkowski's been an unbelievable replacement for former Patriot Adam Vinatieri, who had been a steady contributor before departing for Indianapolis via free agency following the 2005 season. 2014 was one of Gostkowski's best seasons, with the veteran hitting an NFL-best 35-of-37 field goals (94.6%) which was a career high in accuracy. He also became the seventh kicker to earn 100 points in the postseason and kicked touchbacks on all five of his kickoffs against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
While Gostkowski signed his tender just four days after being the designation, one of the bigger questions now will be whether or not the Patriots have a long-term deal in the works for a player who should be considered a priority heading into this season. July 15th marks the final days for players who received the franchise tag to be able to sign a multi-year extension with their current team. While Gostkowski may have already signed his tender, that doesn't rule out the possibility for him to get a longer deal if the two sides can reach an agreement.
Given how important the kicking game is, especially in a stadium as difficult to kick in as Gillette, it would be hard to imagine the Patriots trying to find a replacement for a guy who has been so consistent. Kickers don't tend to get a lot of credit but Gostkowski is now among the NFL's elite, having actually lead all kickers in points in every season since 2012.
Now the biggest question will be whether or not he'll get a deal that runs longer than this season. He seemed pretty happy to sign the tender, which made him the highest paid kicker in the league. Now it will be interesting to see if New England is able to extend him for the foreseeable future, which will be something to watch in the weeks ahead.
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