The Minnesota Vikings go into 2026 with multiple camp battles and storylines beyond the starting quarterback competition that has drawn so much national attention. However, Will Reichard’s off-season storyline warrants more discussion, given that his rookie contract is set to expire after the 2027 season.
While most teams decide to wait a little longer on signing and extending kickers, Reichard isn’t a typical NFL kicker. He’s already established his market. The Vikings and Reichard must determine what his steady play is worth, combined with the average pay to kickers across the league, to figure out his extension.
Reichard deserves an extension
There is no question that Reichard has deserved every penny he has earned on his rookie contract. Besides missing four games his rookie season due to a quad injury, Reichard has dominated the NFL.
In his career, Reichard is 57 for 65 in field goals, good for a field goal percentage of 87.7%, and a perfect 69 for 69 on extra points. Last year, Reichard finished third in field goal percentage at 94.3%, behind Nick Folk and Eddy Piñeiro, who both had 96.6%. Yet, the Vikings kicker was the only one to participate in all 17 games.
Last season, Reichard also earned first-team All-Pro honors and set a new franchise record with a successful 62-yard field goal attempt. However, he missed out on a Pro Bowl nod, which went to Brandon Aubrey.
Now that he’s established his dominance, what is the going rate for a starting NFL kicker?
Recent kicker contracts
Many factors come into play when evaluating the worth of a team’s kicker. According to Over the Cap, Will Reichard is in the bottom third in yearly average, at just under $1.1 million over four years.
To put that into context, Brandon Aubrey just signed a four-year $28 million contract, almost seven times as much as what the Vikings are paying Reichard on his rookie deal. The average kicker in the league is around $860,000, including kickers, punters, and those on practice squads.
Unlike Reichard, Aubrey has been in the league much longer and has continued to succeed. But the younger Reichard has shown no signs of the game being too big for him. While we know that he deserves more than your average kicker, the question will be how much more?
What would a Reichard extension look like?
Vikings fans are all too familiar with the importance of a kicker. Therefore, Reichard’s dominance since joining the team is not something this fanbase takes for granted. He received All-Pro honors in just his second season, highlighting that the Vikings have something special.
Reichard’s ability to seemingly hit kicks from anywhere and in any condition was a crucial factor in 2025. It could be even more of an X-factor early in 2026 depending on what happens at quarterback.
Reichard is one of the best kickers in the NFL right now. The Vikings have him signed until the end of 2027. Still, it may be in the team’s best interest to start looking towards his future and ensuring their 2024 sixth-round pick remains in Minnesota.
In a league that sees so much turnover and instability, the Vikings found something stable with Reichard as their kicker. The team may give him the 2026 season to further prove the initial number they want to give him moving forward.
I believe he deserves something in the ballpark of around $6 million a year. That puts him below the likes of Aubrey, Chris Boswell, Ka’imi Fairbairn, and Harrison Butker. However, it gives him the money he has easily proven that he’s worth.
