Highest-paid kickers in NFL: How Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey reset the market with new contract in 2026

Kickers can be legitimate weapons in the modern NFL.

With revised kickoff rules shortening fields and kickers' legs seemingly getting stronger, the right kicker can make the path to a scoring drive fairly straightforward.

While teams tend to pass on field goals to go for it on fourth down more than ever before, Super Bowl 60 illustrated the importance of just having a kicker you can rely on when Jason Myers accounted for 15 of the Seattle Seahawks' 29 points in a win over the New England Patriots.

Kicker salaries don't come close to some of the top figures at premium positions, but they are similarly on the rise as business continues to boom in the NFL.

Here's a look at the NFL's highest-paid kickers in 2026.

MORE: 2026 NFL salary cap, explained

Who is the highest-paid kicker in the NFL?

Now officially, following weeks worth of anticipation, the Dallas Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey has become the NFL's highest-paid kicker.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Apr. 20 that Dallas is giving Aubrey a four-year extension that makes him the first kicker to make $7 million per year and includes $20 million guaranteed. The total value of the contract is $28 million.

Previously, Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn was the NFL's highest-paid kicker at $6.5 million per year. Fairbairn inked a two-year, $13 million contract extension with Houston in 2026, resetting the kicker market ever so briefly.

Aubrey, who was a restricted free agent in 2026, was expected to reset the market for kickers after another terrific season in Dallas. He officially did so, clearing the $7 million AAV mark in the process.

The former soccer standout has made 88.2 percent of field goal attempts in his three NFL seasons, though that mark might be skewed by the fact the Cowboys frequently use him from long range. Aubrey is 35-for-44 from at least 50 yards in his three seasons. From inside 50 yards, he was a perfect 25-for-25 in 2025. 

MORE: How Brandon Aubrey went from MLS draft pick to NFL star

Highest-paid kickers in NFL

Here are the 10 highest-paid kickers in the NFL by average annual salary:

Ten kickers make at least $5 million annually, but only three are above the $6 million range: Aubrey, Fairbairn, Harrison Butker.

MORE: Cam Little's longest field goals

Factors that determine NFL kicker salaries

Like any position, a kicker is going to make more money if a team believes he is not easily replaceable. 

Kicker salaries tend to be lower than just about every other position group in part because the players tend to be replaceable. While some kickers have become weapons in today's NFL, the growing supply of capable kickers means most have a short leash and can be replaced at any time. To that point, two of the NFL's highest-paid kickers — Butker and Cameron Dicker — started out with their current teams as unheralded midseason replacements.

The right kicker can be a weapon, though. Aubrey's range begins roughly near midfield, which is equivalent to the NFL record of a 68-yard field goal. That kind of range will surely land him a sizable contract. Butker and Elliott, meanwhile, have made clutch kicks on the biggest stage, each winning a Super Bowl. 

Field goal percentage and range from more than 50 yards out are still the defining factors of a kicker's value, but success in high-pressure moments or the ability to go beyond typical field goal range separates select kickers from the rest.

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Highest-paid player by position

Kicker salaries still pale in comparison to non-special team position groups. Here is a look at the highest-paid player by position:

Quarterbacks represent the 10 highest-paid players in the NFL by average annual value, but the highest-paid non-quarterback is not a wide receiver. It's instead Texans pass-rusher Will Anderson, who is making $50 million per year on his newest extension.

MORE: How many kickers are in the NFL Hall of Fame?