The most accurate kickers in NFL history, according to analytics

To be one of the most accurate placekickers in NFL history, it takes more than just hitting the ball through the goalposts. Not technically, but there’s a bigger argument to be made. Some players benefit from taking chip shots frequently, while others are called upon to launch 50-yard+ bombs over and over again. That’s why I’ve analyzed the top kickers from 2018 onwards.

methodology

Where a kicker attempts each field goal can tell us a lot about who is a long-range shooter or a chip-shot specialist, so I’ve broken down each kicker’s attempts into the traditional categories of 0-29, 30-39, 40-49, and 50+. From there, I’ll break them down into categories of under 40 yards or over 40 yards.

I took three measurements to define the kick. The first was Average kick attempt distance (AKD). This is the average of all kick attempts by each kicker individually.

The second measurement Average Distance Completed (ACD). This highlights where each kicker’s completion range is.

The final measurement is Average Miss Distance (AMD). This shows where each kicker’s accuracy may be an issue, and also where they are told to kick from, depending on luck or the coach’s trust. For this reason, I exclude blocked field goals from the list. Blocked kicks are often the result of an error in the field goal operation rather than the kick, so for better or worse, I exclude them.

Of course, career field goal accuracy is part of the measurement process. Below are the current top 10 most accurate field goal kickers in NFL history. Three additional kickers are included because they are former top 10 kickers or have careers that validate the methodology.

analysis

This marks the eighth consecutive year Tucker has held the No. 1 spot, the last time he didn’t finish a season as No. 1 was in 2015. Tucker is the only kicker in NFL history with a career field goal percentage above 90 percent.

• Butker had the worst season of his career in 2022 (75%) but had the best season of his career in 2023 (94.3%), earning him the No. 2 spot again.
• Pineiro is the latest addition to this list as he has over 100 career successes, which is the minimum number needed to be on the all-time accuracy list.
• Another newcomer to the top 10 is Fairbairn. After two consecutive excellent seasons (2022: 93.5%, 2023: 96.4%), he jumps from 17th to 8th. He is the biggest improvement from 2023, rising nine spots.
• Boswell climbed back into the top 10 after a stellar season, posting a 93.5% chance of being selected for 2023, the second-largest positive jump on the list.
• The biggest dropoff from 2023 is Matt Gay, who is set to make 80.5% of his kicks in 2023. He was fifth in career success rate last season. He’s now 15th.
• The second biggest drop was Myers, who dropped from 13th to 21st due to his 83.3% success rate. He missed seven kicks in 2023, four of which were from 50 yards or further away. (You can see where context is important.)

Under 40, Over 40

Field goals under 40 yards are almost a given in the modern era, and if you can get more field goals under 40 yards than other kickers, you have more opportunities to inflate your accuracy stats.

analysis

• It’s no surprise to see Vanderjagt at the top of the division, as his career spanned the 1990s and early 2000s.
• Butker has the second-highest kick success rate from within 40 yards, showing why the larger accuracy discussion is important: He makes the shots with more ease than anyone else.
• Tucker’s position further to the right indicates that he is not hitting chip shots like the other four players in the top five all-time accuracy lists: Butker, Pineiro, Koo and Carlson.

analysis

• Exactly half of Gay’s attempts are over 40 yards, and it will be exciting to see if that’s sustainable or if his accuracy improves/decreases.
• Boswell is a champion from 40-49 yards, kicking more from that distance than any other player. Prior to 2021, Boswell had a success rate of less than 10% from kicks over 50 yards. He has improved his long-distance kicking over the last few years, and now averages some of the best kicks over 40 yards.
• Tucker has the highest percentage of kicks over 40 yards among the top five accuracy, meaning he is able to make kicks from longer distances while still being better than the others.
• Butker has the second-most kicks of 40 yards or less, but also has the most kicks of 50 yards or more, which puts him fourth on the list.
• It’s worth noting that Fairburn has risen into the top 10 and has the third-highest success rate on kicks of 50+ yards.
• Another example of the evolution of kicking is that VanderJagd (and Gould) attempted less than 10% of their shots from beyond 50 yards for their careers.

Average kick distance (AAKD) breakdown

Where kickers aim for field goals matters—each kick counts the same both on the scoreboard and in career attempts—but where do they kick from? The data shows it matters.

analysis

AAKD shows a trend at the top. The more long-range shots you take, the less accurate you are. It also shows how much kicking technique has evolved. At the bottom of the AAKD are two kickers from the previous generation. Vanderjagt’s career spanned from 1998 to 2006, and Gould’s began in 2005. Average attempts are on the rise.

• Zuerlein once again led the AAKD as he was given the seemingly impossible task of making 86 field goal attempts of 50+ yards in his career, with nearly half of his career kicks coming from 40+ yards (194/396).
• Gay’s AAKD increased from 38.9 yards in 2022 to 39.7 yards in 2023 as 22 of his 41 attempts came from 40+ yards, including 13 attempts from 50+ yards in 2023. The Colts asked a lot from their kicker last season, maybe a little too much, and his accuracy suffered as a result.
• Tucker is the exception: he has the highest AAKD of the top 10 and is #1 in accuracy.
• Karlsson has the easiest AAKD out of the top 5. He has proven capable of knocking down big kicks, but he averages them from shorter distances.

Breakdown of Average Completion Distance (ACD)

After all, what matters is breaking the goalposts, the kicker taking to the field and scoring three points. That’s where the ACD comes in.

analysis

• Pineiro’s small sample size has earned him the top spot in the ACD rankings, and while he deserves credit for being so accurate with kicks over 100 attempts, consistency will be a key factor going forward.
• Gay’s performance in 2023 was commendable. The Colts asked him to do too much, but he earned their trust with his big-time kicking. Specifically, He became the first NFL kicker to make 4-of-4 kicks from 50 yards or more. What’s more, it will be held in Tucker’s home stadium.
• In Boswell’s early years, he was rarely tasked with long-distance kicking, but over the past three years he has expanded his game to include long-distance kicks. Incredibly, he has made 21 of 25 field goal attempts (84%) from 50 yards or longer.
• While Carlson has proven to be a good kicker regardless of distance, he has benefited the most from shorter kicks than any other kicker in the top five. That doesn’t mean Carlson doesn’t deserve the praise, however. Lutz has the same ACD, but his career accuracy is 2.868% worse than Carlson’s.

Breakdown of average miss distance

This metric indicates the kicker’s range – the range beyond which the kicker is no longer statistically likely to succeed in kicking.

analysis

• Tucker is the only kicker I’ve ever come across who has missed a kick over 50 yards, and he did it by almost 2 yards. The difference between Tucker and Zuerlein is 2.6 yards. The difference between Zuerlein and Koo is about the same.
• Zuerlein once again proved he has been called upon to kick from distance so many times in his career, and it was further proof of just how accurate Tucker’s kicks are, given that the next closest kicker at AMD ranks 40th all-time in accuracy.
• It’s a shame Lambo’s form dipped and he never got back to his old self. He was well on his way to being a truly elite kicker in the NFL. From 2018-2020, Lambo was a bona fide star in the NFL, going 57-for-60 (97%) from the field, including 10-for-11 shots from 50+ yards.
• Lutz is a special case. His AAKD and ACD are low, but his AMD is high. One reason his AMD is high may be due to the number of blocks I haven’t counted. He has blocked eight field goals in his career, four of which came from within 40 yards.
• Gay is a real kicker and his range is some of the best in the NFL.
• Boswell is trending in the right direction, improving his AMD by half a yard since last season, which means his range is improving as his career progresses.
• Carlson was the polar opposite of Boswell, with a 0.5 yard decrease in AMD year over year, due in part to a 30-yard miss that reduced his AMD by 0.7 yards.
• Pinerio is at risk for a significant drop in his AMD if he misses below his already low 44 yards. The variability is worrisome given the small sample size, and this is something to watch next season.

whole

• You don’t need any other reason to understand Tucker’s greatness, but this is a better illustration of why he’s better than everyone else: not just being the most accurate, but how he does it. He does it from longer distances, with fewer attempts from shorter distances throughout his career, and his only miss being longer than 50 yards.
• Butker’s numbers are probably overstated — he takes more kicks inside 40 yards than any other player — and while he deserves credit for being the second most accurate, he also makes the shots easier than just about everyone else.
• I’ll be keeping an eye on Pineiro’s 2024 season. If he makes a couple of mistakes, his accuracy will drop him out of the top five or even top ten right away, and if the mistakes are short misses, his numbers will plummet up the charts. But if he continues to have another impressive season, he’ll secure the top spot, a tough challenge where many others have failed.
• Both Koo and Karlsson had strong seasons, posting 86-86.5% stats last season, which is great for most players, but we can expect to see improvement going forward, which could put them at the top of the rankings.
• Fairburn is also one to watch, having put in some impressive kicking performances for the second season in a row. Can he score a hat trick?
• Myers and Gay are two guys who will have nothing but tough looks if they don’t bounce back.