PITTSBURGH —NFL front offices usually sweat when handing out market-setting contracts, but the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't blink. By locking down kicker Chris Boswell to a four-year, $28 million extension , Pittsburgh officially set the standard for special teams value. The deal averages $7 million per year, tying him as the highest-paid kicker in NFL history and securing his spot in black and gold through 2030.
To the casual observer, $28 million sounds like a luxury. To anyone who has watched the Steelers scrape through the grueling AFC North, it looks like a bargain. Boswell currently ranks as the sixth-most accurate kicker in NFL history, hitting 87.7% of his field-goal attempts. He also owns an 82.5% success rate from 50 yards or deeper, the best all-time mark in league history for kickers with at least 60 attempts from that distance.
Speaking at a press conference on May 18 following an OTAs practice, Boswell made it clear that while his tax bracket has changed, his high-stakes approach to the game remains exactly the same.
"The money value doesn't pay any respect to how you do on the field," Boswell said. "I mean, because of the contract doesn't mean I'm going to make or miss any more kicks. I mean, I still got to show up and perform every single week. And my job's on the line every single kick, every single week. And I have to keep that mentality and let the rest take care of itself."
That relentless mindset is precisely why Pittsburgh paid for peace of mind. Eleven years after arriving as a street free agent, Boswell remains the ultimate insurance policy. In a stadium where points are hard-fought, he has proven time and again that he is worth the historic price tag.
Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell during a game against the Jets on Sept. 7, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Acquired: Signed mid-season in 2015 to stop a chaotic, four-kicker carousel, Boswell has spent over a decade morphing from a street free agent into the most clutch weapon in franchise history. One of the most accurate kickers in NFL history, "Boz" has a legendary ice-water pulse, holding an elite 82.5% success rate from 50+ yards and going a perfect 19-for-19 in his postseason career. He solidified his cultural cornerstone status in May 2026 by signing a historic four-year, $28 million extension that ties him as the highest-paid specialist in league history, locking him into the black and gold through 2030.
Last Year:Coming off an elite first-team All-Pro nod in 2024, Boswell remained the steady anchor of Pittsburgh's offense in 2025, racking up 123 total points. While his baseline field goal percentage dropped slightly to 84.4% due to a couple of rare mid-range hiccups, Boswell remained absolutely lethal from distance. He earned an elite 92.5 overall field goal grade from Pro Football Focus—good for fifth among all NFL specialists—by drilling 9 of his 11 attempts from 50-plus yards.
Highlighting his campaign was a heroic Week 1 performance against the New York Jets , where he blasted a career-long, game-winning 60-yard field goal to lock up AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, proving his leg is just as clutch as ever.
Pro Career: Over his 11-year career in Pittsburgh, Boswell has firmly established himself as one of the most accurate and reliable specialists in NFL history. Since stabilizing a chaotic kicking game in 2015, Boswell has amassed 1,250 points, placing him second on the franchise's all-time scoring list. A two-time Pro Bowler and 2024 first-team All-Pro selection, he owns a stellar 87.7% career field goal conversion rate. Boswell's true value, however, lies in his unparalleled reliability from distance and under pressure; he holds an elite 82.5% success rate from 50-plus yards and has never missed a postseason kick, going a perfect 19-for-19 in playoff action.
Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell kicks off against the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 16, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
| Year |
Team |
GP |
20-29 |
30-39 |
40-49 |
50-59 |
60+ |
FGM |
FG ATT |
PCT |
|
| 2025 |
PITT |
17 |
6-6 |
2-4 |
10-11 |
8-10 |
1-1 |
27 |
32 |
84.4 |
92.5 |
| 2024 |
PITT |
17 |
9-9 |
12-12 |
7-8 |
13-14 |
0-1 |
41 |
44 |
93.2 |
92.3 |
| 2023 |
PITT |
17 |
9-9 |
7-7 |
7-8 |
6-6 |
0-1 |
29 |
31 |
93.6 |
85.3 |
| 2022 |
PITT |
12 |
4-4 |
4-5 |
5-10 |
7-9 |
0-0 |
20 |
28 |
71.4 |
66.1 |
| 2021 |
PITT |
17 |
9-9 |
8-9 |
11-13 |
8-9 |
0-0 |
36 |
40 |
90 |
81.9 |
| 2020 |
PITT |
13 |
5-5 |
6-6 |
7-8 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
19 |
20 |
95 |
64.2 |
| 2019 |
PITT |
16 |
11-11 |
7-7 |
9-10 |
1-2 |
0-0 |
29 |
31 |
93.6 |
79.7 |
| 2018 |
PITT |
15 |
3-3 |
4-6 |
5-10 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
13 |
20 |
65 |
30.6 |
| 2017 |
PITT |
16 |
10-10 |
12-14 |
9-10 |
4-4 |
0-0 |
35 |
38 |
92.1 |
81.3 |
| 2016 |
PITT |
15 |
2-2 |
8-9 |
11-12 |
0-2 |
0-0 |
21 |
25 |
84 |
74.2 |
| 2015 |
PITT |
12 |
9-9 |
8-8 |
9-12 |
2-2 |
0-0 |
29 |
32 |
90.6 |
68.9 |
Before turning heads in the NFL, Boswell put together a historic four-year career at Rice University (2010–2013). He shattered program records by amassing 359 total points and drilling 65 career field goals—both marks ranking near the very top of the Owls' and Conference USA's all-time leaderboards.
A two-time All-C-USA selection, Boswell first flashed his signature long-range ice water as a junior in 2012, leading the nation with six conversions from 50-plus yards and tying an NCAA single-game record by hammering three 50-yarders against SMU. By the time he graduated, his 11 career bombs from 50-plus yards nearly tripled the previous school record, setting the exact blueprint for his future as Pittsburgh's elite distance weapon.
| Year |
Team |
GP |
FGM |
FG ATT |
PCT |
PTS |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 |
RICE |
14 |
14 |
19 |
73.7 |
89 |
N/A |
| 2012 |
RICE |
13 |
23 |
29 |
79.3 |
114 |
N/A |
| 2011 |
RICE |
12 |
17 |
21 |
81.0 |
82 |
N/A |
| 2010 |
RICE |
12 |
11 |
17 |
64.7 |
74 |
N/A |
Measured at the 2014 NFL Scouting Combine : 6-foot-2.3, 185 pounds; 31 1/4-inch arm length, 8 5/8-inch hand size. (Note: As a specialist, Boswell did not participate in timing or lifting drills like the 40-yard dash or bench press during his combine circuit).
Following his record-tying four-year, $28 million extension, Chris Boswell is locked in through the 2030 season with a deal that carries a $7 million average annual value and includes a $9 million signing bonus. To maximize immediate financial flexibility, the Steelers lowered his 2026 base salary to $1.5 million, keeping his cap hit for the upcoming season at a highly manageable $4.9 million—just a minor $180,000 bump from his previous contract structure.
Over the life of the deal, his cap hit will scale from $6.3 million in 2027 to a peak of $7.575 million by 2029 and 2030, anchored by annual $300,000 workout bonuses and $1 million roster bonuses that kick in starting in 2028.
Despite his elite leg, Boswell didn't grow up dreaming of the NFL—he was a soccer player. His father, who grew up playing street soccer in Brazil, actually forced him to try out for football as a high school freshman to transition his kicking skills to the gridiron. Boswell admitted he was initially reluctant but stuck with it because "being successful at something is fun."
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh .
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : The $28 Million Standard: Why Chris Boswell Is Worth the Historic Price Tag
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