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Vikings Kicker Gets Almighty Tip of the Cap from ESPN
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- Vikings Kicker Gets Almighty Tip of the Cap from ESPN
Matt Krohn
Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey got the meaningful Pro Bowl kudos from the NFL, but ESPN provided Minnesota Vikings specialist Will Reichard with a sweet consolation prize this week, naming him their version of the All-Pro. In other words, ESPN's Bill Barnwell called Reichard the NFL's best kicker in 2025.
Barnwell's personal All-Pro nod validates Reichard's performance and boosts Minnesota's confidence that its kicker spot is finally solved.
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Vikings fans squawked when Aubrey took home Pro Bowl honors last week, as Reichard has produced a better season, so Barnwell's recognition felt like justice.
Will Reichard Lands ESPN All-Pro Recognition
ESPN called Reichard the cream of the crop among NFL kickers.
Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard celebrates with fans near the stands during a road win at AT&T Stadium, where emotions spilled over late in the afternoon on Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. Reichard acknowledged the traveling Minnesota crowd after delivering in a high-pressure environment against the Cowboys. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Barnwell's All-Pro Assessment of Reichard
According to Barnwell, Aubrey made the ESPN 2nd-Team All-Pro squad, with Reichard in first place.
He explained , "Brandon Aubrey gets deserved plaudits as the league's best kicker on a weekly basis, but Reichard has actually been slightly better this season per advanced metrics. He has attempted eight fewer field goals than Aubrey, but Reichard has gone 30-for-32, whereas Aubrey is 35-for-40."
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"Even with the slightly reduced volume, Reichard has made 6.7 more field goals than expected (per NGS), compared with 6.5 for Aubrey, as his average field goal make has been from a yard further out. Reichard has also been perfect on extra points. Vikings fans endured about a decade of frustrating kickers, but Reichard has broken that trend."
The publication also marks the first notable time that a credible media outlet gave Reichard his flowers over Aubrey — in anything.
The Numbers for Reichard
Reichard went on a heater this year, with the stats mentioned by Barnwell. Connections on 30 field goals in 32 tries is no joke, especially for the Vikings, a franchise utterly snakebitten by kickers throughout history.
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The Alabama alumnus has also never missed an extra point, another problem that plagued the Vikings for about a decade. Overall, the Vikings and Reichard rank third in the NFL in 2025 field goal percentage, only bested by the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts . And Minnesota obviously ranks at the top of the league in extra point percentage.
What's more, Reichard has hit 11 field goals from 50 yards or more, tied for the lead with the aforementioned Aubrey and Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Chase McLaughlin , a former Viking.
It's a long way of saying that Reichard is an utter stud.
Rebounding from a Slow Finish to 2024
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Last year, Reichard started the season hot as a rookie, kicking nearly flawlessly before injuring his quad. He missed a month. When he returned, he wasn't quite the same guy, firing up misses that made onlookers scratch their heads and wonder if the first several games were more like a honeymoon or mirage.
Now, however, Reichard has proved that the crummy finish to 2024 was more a matter of his lingering quad recovery than long-term trajectory.
He's back, and media members like Barnwell are calling Reichard the best kicker in the world.
All Systems Go for the Future
The Vikings have searched high and low for a "franchise kicker," always vacillating between a retread veteran who kicks decently but never at an elite level.
Minnesota Vikings place kicker Will Reichard reacts after converting a fourth-quarter field goal at U.S. Bank Stadium, giving Minnesota a late boost on Sep. 22, 2024, in Minneapolis. Reichard showed visible emotion following the kick as the Vikings closed out a tight contest against the Houston Texans. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
For example, the guy before Reichard, Greg Joseph , often drilled cold-blooded, clutch kicks with the game on the line, while missing mundane kicks that ended up mattering on the scoreboard. Minnesota cut Joseph loose after the 2023 campaign, and he has not found staying power anywhere else.
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On Reichard, he's connected to Minnesota for the next two seasons after 2025, and the Vikings are virtually guaranteed to extend him when the time arrives. After years of heartache — decades even — the Vikings have found their kicker.
Fans do not take it for granted.
Barnwell Says Maye over Stafford at QB
Barnwell also weighed in on the hot topic of NFL MVP: "Using a model to estimate the likelihood of a ball being caught given the locations of the receiver and nearby defenders and various other factors, it can be a good way to begin estimating how much a receiver is doing in an offense relative to what an average receiver would do in the same attack. Typically, the best receivers in football rank among the league leaders in CROE and its sister stat, receiving yards over expectation (RYOE)."
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"There are six receivers who have run 300 or more routes this season with a CROE at least 10% better than average. Two of them are the obvious first-team All-Pros in Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba . Jake Ferguson is fifth, and George Pickens is just outside of that top six, a testament to what Dak Prescott can do for you at quarterback."
Maye is sportsbooks' favorite to take home the award, with a -340 moneyline.
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye carries out a play fake during the fourth quarter at Gillette Stadium, maneuvering the offense late in the game on Dec. 1, 2025, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The rookie quarterback attempted to keep defenders off balance as New England pressed for points against the Giants. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Barnwell continued, "The other three guys in the top six are all Patriots. Kayshon Boutte (plus-23.5% CROE), Stefon Diggs (plus-15.8%) and Mack Hollins (plus-10.2%) are all running what would comfortably be the highest catch rates over expectation of their respective careers. Three receivers in the top six is a Maye stat. I stand roughly where I did three weeks ago — with everyone else beyond the top two ruled out of the race."
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"This is Maye vs. Stafford. Last time I wrote about them, I had a very slight lean toward the Patriots standout. Right now, with one week of regular-season football to go, Maye seems like the clear choice as MVP."
On Reichard, he will turn 25 next week. He could conceivably serve as the Vikings' kicker for the next 15 years.
