Buffalo Bills' future at kicker cleared up with Tyler Bass injury update

Tyler Bass’ 2025 season ended before it could even begin.

The 28-year-old kicker sustained hip and groin injuries during Buffalo Bills training camp, leading to his placement on Injured Reserve prior to the kickoff of the regular season. Bass subsequently underwent surgery to repair his ailments, which not only cut his campaign short but also created questions regarding his availability for 2026.

With that said, after President of Football Operations Brandon Beane spoke to the media on Thursday, it appears any concern regarding his availability for next year should be quelled.

NFL Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass | David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

A positive update

According to Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino, Beane said that Bass has not yet returned to full health but is nearing 100% efficacy.

Parrino posted to his X account, “There was outside chance he could have kicked in Super Bowl if Matt Prater wasn’t available and Bills advanced.”

He then quoted Beane.

“I would expect Tyler Bass to be our kicker in ’26,” said the Bills GM, per Parrino.

MORE: Buffalo Bills finalist to land red-hot defensive coordinator candidate, per report

Tyler Bass update:

Brandon Beane said he’s still not 100%, but he’s getting close. There was outside chance he could have kicked in Super Bowl if Matt Prater wasn’t available and Bills advanced.

On next season:

“I would expect Tyler Bass to be our kicker in ‘26.”
— Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) January 31, 2026

The numbers

Bass' replacement, longtime veteran Matt Prater, was solid for the Bills in 2025, converting 90% of his field goal attempts and 93.9% of his extra-point attempts during the regular season. The 41-year-old made all five of his field goal attempts and all six of his extra points during the playoffs. It was one of the best seasons of Prater’s career, as it was just the third in which he completed the year with at least a 90% success rate on FGs. His career rate is 83.8% over 19 years in the NFL.

Bass has converted 84.5% of his career field goal attempts but has never surpassed an 87.5% clip during a single regular season. He is under contract for two more years and is nearly 13 years younger than Prater.

So, while the old-timer was a good soldier for the Bills during what is likely to be his lone season with the team, the easy choice is for Buffalo to turn back to Bass if healthy moving forward.

Buffalo Bills place kicker Matt Prater (15) signs autographs before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

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