One of the Buccaneers’ best players in franchise history is ready for a new contract after Vita Vea got his big payday
Everyone has been talking about the Baker Mayfield and Vita Vea contract situation and for good reason. But, there’s another key Buccaneers veteran who is also up for a new deal.
With all eyes on Baker Mayfield and Vita Vea, most people have forgotten that Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin is heading into the final year of his contract, as well.
McLaughlin may be a kicker, but he’s no small potatoes. In fact, he’s made his way to the top of the mountain when it comes to the best Buccaneers kickers in franchise history.
In just three seasons, McLaughlin has made 90.1% of his field goal attempts, which leads all Buccaneers kickers to ever attempt a field goal. His 392 points rank sixth and are just 200 points behind Martin Gramatica’s franchise-leading 592 points. His 97.5% hit rate on extra points ranks fifth out of the 10 kickers with at least 52 attempts in their career.
At 30 years old, McLaughlin certainly deserves an extension that pays him accordingly and he’s ready for one.
“I think it’s something anyone on the field would like to have done is get an extension early,” McLaughlin told reporters after Wednesday’s practice. “So, obviously, we saw the Steelers, the Cowboys, and the Texans all get something done, which was really cool. I’m very happy for all three of those guys.
“They deserve it, and I think it’s really cool to see the league moving that direction, in that like everyone knows, points are at a premium in this league, and and I think across the league we’re seeing that kickers are being seen more as an asset than an afterthought, and I think those three examples this off season were great to see.”
What would Chase McLaughlin’s contract look like?
Below are the deals Chase McLaughlin was talking about when it comes to the contract extensions handed out earlier in the offseason:
- Texans K Ka’imi Fairbairn: Two-year, $13 million with $11.66 fully guaranteed at signing
- Cowboys K Brandon Aubrey: Four-year, $28 million with $15 million fully guaranteed at signing.
- Steelers K Chris Bosworth: Four-year, $28 million with $10.5 million fully guaranteed at signing.
McLaughlin is slated to make $3.8 million in cash, this year. When comparing him to the aforementioned three players, his case for a new deal gets even stronger.
McLaughlin has made 90.1% of his field goal attempts from 2023-2025, which barely trails Fairbairn and Boswell’s 90.7% and is better than Aubrey’s 88.2% rate. He’s made 97.5% of his PAT attempts, which only trails Boswell’s 98.1% rate and is better than Aubrey (96.9) and Fairbairn (96.5).
McLaughlin surpasses all three when it comes to accuracy beyond 50+ yards, as well. He’s made 86.7% of those attempts from an average distance of 54.23 yards. The distance trails Boswell’s and Aubrey’s (not by much), but surpasses Fairbairn’s.
Chris Boswell, Brandon Aubrey and Ka’imi Fairbairn’s stats from 50+ yards
Below are the make percentages and distance for the above trio when attempting field goals from 50+
- Brandon Aubrey: 79.5%/55.2 yards
- Chris Boswell: 84.8%/54.5 yards
- Ka’imi Fairbairn: 77.1%/53.4 yards
So, it’s easy to see how Chase McLaughlin stacks up with all these guys and how it affects his contract extension. In all, a four-year, $30 million extension with around $16 million fully guaranteed at signing makes a lot of sense.
That gives him an AAV of $7.5 million per year, which is a slight bump over Aubrey and Boswell and the $16 million guaranteed at signing is a bump over Aubrey’s total.
It’s plain and simple: Chase McLaughlin is one of the best, if not the best, kickers in Buccaneers history and he’s one of the NFL’s best kickers, as well. Therefore, he deserves to be paid as such.
