By Bob Condotta / The Seattle Times
RENOTN — The Seattle Seahawks didn’t wait long to retain one of their key potential free agents, announcing Wednesday that they have signed Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers to a new four-year contract.
And they did it by making him the second-highest paid kicker in the NFL. A league source confirmed that Myers is getting a four-year contract worth up to $21.1 million, as initially reported by both ESPN and the NFL Network. At an average of $5.275 million, Myers will make more than any kicker in the NFL on a per-year basis other than Baltimore’s Justin Tucker at $6 million. Myers reportedly can make up to $22.6 million with incentives.
Myers, who turns 32 in May, tied the Seahawks record with 34 field goals in 2022, also setting a career high, and missed just three, hitting 91.9%, fifth-best in the NFL.
He also led the NFL with 143 points scored and made all six of his field goal attempts of 50 yards or longer, with the six makes also tying a franchise record.
Myers has been with the Seahawks since 2019 and had just completed a four-year, $15.45 million contract signed in March 2019. Myers’ average per year of just over $3.8 million ranked 14th in the NFL in 2022 among kickers, according to OverTheCap.com.
Myers told the team’s website, Seahawks.com, his goal was to remain in Seattle.
“We wanted to stay here the whole time,” Myers was quoted as saying. “We had no plans of leaving and we love this organization, the coaching staff, players, everything. I’m so excited to be able to stay for four more years at least, hopefully more.”
Myers was one of 25 players who can become unrestricted free agents March 15. Teams can re-sign their own players at any time before the free agent signing period begins, and in comments to the team’s website, general manager John Schneider said Myers was a priority.
“It’s just the first step in our offseason,” Schneider said. “We identified Jason, especially having the year he had, as somebody we wanted to get done as quickly as we possibly could. He’s a huge piece of our championship culture, and he was eager, as were we, to consummate a deal. … It’s a first step for us for 2023.”
The 2022 season was the second time Myers has made the Pro Bowl, having also done it in 2018 with the New York Jets.
Myers had something of an off year in 2021 when he hit just 17 of 23 field goal attempts, a percentage of 73.9 that was the second lowest of his career.
But he rebounded this year to make 24 straight in one stretch and ended the year having made at least one field goal in 15 straight regular-season games, the second-longest streak in franchise history, before hitting a 56-yarder in his only attempt in the wild-card playoff game against the 49ers.
Myers missed a 46-yarder on the final play of regulation in the regular-season finale against the Rams, hitting the right upright, but came back to hit a 32-yarder to win it.
During his end-of-season news conference Monday, coach Pete Carroll said the team hoped to bring Myers back.
“Yeah, he had another great season,” Carroll said. “It’s unfortunate that he doinked one, but it might distract you from it. He came right back and kicked it. Look at the kick at the end of the half, what a great play that was for a kicker. He had a terrific year. He wants to be here. We want him to be here, so we have to figure it out somehow.”
Myers’ return means Seattle will have its kicking and punting situations locked up for the next three years as punter Michael Dickson is under contract through 2025.
However, both of Seattle’s long snappers — Tyler Ott, who spent the year on injured reserve with a shoulder issue, and Carson Tinker — are free agents.
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