Steelers Extend Older Kicker Boswell
Bo Marchionte
Host · Writer
Chris Boswell Extension
The second longest tenured player on the Steelers roster behind Cam Heyward just got his much-deserved contract extension.
Prior to signing his new extension, Chris Boswell was not among the highest-paid kickers in the NFL.
Boswell and the Steelers agreed to an extension, about a quarter after 12 on May 11th, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. This is a four-year, $28 million deal to keep the 35-year-old Fort Worth, Texas native in Pittsburgh until 2030. Long-time and respected Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette adds the deal contains $14.7MM guaranteed.
Boswell Gets Well Deserved Raise
Prior to his new deal, Pittsburgh was getting Boswell for one hell of a bargain. Under the old deal a four-year, $20 million contract he signed in 2022, Boswell earned an average of $5.0 million per year, which placed him approximately 11th among NFL kickers in average annual salary entering the 2026 season.
It became clear last summer during training camp with Cam Heyward’s hold-in that Boswell might follow suit. Coming off his first All-Pro season and second Pro Bowl season in 2024, after leading the league with 41 made field goals and perfect on his 35 extra point attempts, it seemed like if anyone should be pulling the Heyward move, it would have been Boswell.
The hold-in never happened.
Boswell played out his existing contract covering the 2025 season and low and behold he ended up with the deserved pay raise. It raises his average salary to $7.0 million per year, tying him with Brandon Aubrey as the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.
Pittsburgh is true to their values of taking care of their own and doing their best in an ever-changing landscape of the National Football League, to keep things in house.
Are the Steelers Spending Wisely
The New England Patriots reached the Super Bowl last season while relying on the leg of rookie kicker Andres Borregales. Selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the 23-year-old Venezuela native and former University of Miami standout is scheduled to earn just $1,069,121 in 2026, according to Spotrac.
The broader concern lies in the Steelers’ spending strategy. Since taking over as general manager, Omar Khan has committed significant money to veteran players.
Boswell is fabulous; however, T.J. Watt was extended, Cam Heyward got a boost after getting more money the year before. DK Metcalf has come nowhere close to justifying his 4-year, $132,000,000 contract with the Steelers, shows the bulk of their salaries are on the wrong side of 30.
According to Spotrac, it included $30,000,000 signing bonus, $60,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $33,000,000. In 2026, Metcalf will earn a base salary of $25,000,000, while carrying a cap hit of $31,000,000 and a dead cap value of $49,000,000. Spotrac also reports the Steelers have a buyout after 2027.
However, Boswell earned every penny. I’d be more cautious on aging veterans and dead cap hits. It’s a real thing if teams aren’t careful.
Career Accuracy Rankings (Entering the 2026 Extension)
- Field Goal Percentage
- 7% career field goal percentage (299-for-341)
- 6th-best in NFL history among kickers with at least 100 attempts
- Extra Point Percentage
- 7% career extra point percentage (353-for-369)
This does not rank as highly as his field goal accuracy because the NFL moved extra points back to the 33-yard line in 2015, lowering league-wide success rates. Even so, Boswell remains well above the modern-era average.
Why Boswell’s Accuracy Is So Impressive
- Since the extra-point rule change in 2015, Boswell has:
- Converted 87.7% of his field goals
- Made 95.7% of extra points
- Produced multiple seasons above 93% on field goals
- Yet he ranked 6th all-time in NFL history in field goal accuracy.
- His extra-point percentage of 95.7% is excellent in the post-2015 era.
