Mark Daniels

Tuesday

Apr 9, 2019 at 4:38 PM


The Patriots no longer have to worry about finding a kicker.


According to ESPN, the Patriots and Stephen Gostkowski agreed to a two-year contract on Tuesday. The 35-year-old has been a free agent since March 13. The new deal comes on the same day when the San Francisco 49ers were reportedly showing interest in the four-time Pro Bowler.


For the Patriots, this likely comes as a relief. The last thing any team wants is uncertainty at the kicker position. This season marks [...]

The Patriots no longer have to worry about finding a kicker.

According to ESPN, the Patriots and Stephen Gostkowski agreed to a two-year contract on Tuesday. The 35-year-old has been a free agent since March 13. The new deal comes on the same day when the San Francisco 49ers were reportedly showing interest in the four-time Pro Bowler.

For the Patriots, this likely comes as a relief. The last thing any team wants is uncertainty at the kicker position. This season marks Gostkowski’s 14th in Foxboro.

Gostkowski came to the Patriots as a fourth-round draft pick in 2006, replacing the legendary Adam Vinatieri. The Baton Rouge native has done more than well with trying to fill Vinatieri’s shoes. Over the last 13 NFL seasons, Gostkowski has won three Super Bowls, earned four Pro Bowl nominations and three All-Pro bids. This past season, he set the record for most Super Bowl appearances by a kicker with six, breaking Vinatieri’s record.

Gostkowski is currently the Patriots all-time leader with 1,743 points and 367 field goals. The kicker also owns the Patriots single-season kicking record with 38 success field goals in 2013. Gostkowski also owns the Patriots franchise record for longest field goal with a 62-yard boot in 2017 in Mexico City. He entered last season 18th on the NFL’s all-time scoring list.

Last season, Gostkowski made 20/26 field goal attempts (76.9%). He also made 43/44 (97.7%) of his extra point attempts. In Super Bowl LIII, he missed his first field goal attempt, but went on to hit the next two in the Patriots 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

With Gostkowski back, the Patriots return their entire kicking unit after re-signing punter Ryan Allen to a one-year deal this past March. The two kickers join long snapper Joe Cardona. The three special teamers are a tight-knit group that has performed well with each other.