Danny Smith Says Steelers K Chris Boswell Will Get a New Contract

PITTSBURGH — The talk of the offseason has been about Diontae Johnson and Minkah Fitzpatrick’s contract situation. However, there is another contract that has not been nearly as well talked about. Chris Boswell, the ever-steady kicker of the Steelers, is entering the last year of his deal as well. Given how dependable Boswell has been over the years, it would be likely that the Steelers would extend him yet again.

After all, Boswell is a money 17 of 21 on kicks that are 50 or more yards, and over the past three years, Boswell has connected on over 90% of all his kicks. With three-year rolling, an average that works out to 92.3%. As Alex Kozora pointed out, that would rank third best in the NFL over that span. Boswell has been one of the best kickers in the NFL over the last few seasons. His hiccup in 2018 while dealing with a groin injury is long forgotten.

Being so good, special teams coordinator Danny Smith went to bat for his kicker on Wednesday. Not only is Boswell now one of the grizzled veterans on the roster, but he is in line for that new contract. Smith believes that the next payday for Boswell should be coming rather soon.

“Boz is excellent,” Smith said. “Boz has done what we’ve asked him to do and he’s a plus guy. Boz is a pleasure to work with and he’s one of those seasoned vets now and he keeps reminding me of that. That doesn’t mean shit to me. We’re happy to have him. He’ll get a new deal at some point. He’s doing very good.”

As it stands, Justin Tucker has set the market. Earning a crisp $5 million a year, Tucker is the best kicker in the NFL and is paid as such. Boswell is not far behind with over $4 million a year, but he could see a slight increase to reflect his top-tier performance. There is always the chance he resets the market, but regardless the Steelers will likely be paying their reliable kicker soon.