The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly agreed to terms with placekicker Evan McPherson on a three-year extension worth $16.5 million, per Mike Garafolo on X.
As Garafolo reported, McPherson will receive a record-breaking $10 million in new money during the first year of the deal. That is the most for any three-year extension for a kicker in league history.
McPherson was selected by the Bengals in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 49 out of a possible 51 games and has made 83.9 percent of his field goal attempts. That is 78 made on 93 attempts, including a career-long of 59 in the 2022 season.
His 83.9 field goal percentage last year ranked 21st, though he was one of only nine kickers who had a perfect 100-percent mark for extra point attempts.
He was a huge part of the Bengals’ 2021 playoff success when he tied Adam Vinatieri’s record for the most field goals made in the postseason with 14. That also earned him the record for the most field goals made without missing in postseason history.
Those aren’t the only records that McPherson set his rookie season. He tied the NFL record for the most field goals of 50-plus yards made in one game with three. He made a 51-, 53-, and 54-yarder in that game. To cap it off, he also had a 47-yard field goal in the same game.
The AFC North is the toughest division for a lot of reasons, and the caliber of kickers is certainly one of them. Justin Tucker is arguably the best to ever do it. McPherson has been steady and clutch. And Chris Boswell has been excellent for almost a decade now. Boswell and Tucker are both in the top 10 for all-time field goal percentage.
