Broncos Give Kicker Brandon McManus Four-Year Extension

Ask any kicker and they'll tell you that half the battle of being effective and accurate takes place between the ears. Confidence, peace of mind, focus, and almost a blank sort of zen state, are paramount to a kicker cultivating the right mindset.

Thus, it makes sense that the Denver Broncos would want Brandon McManus to feel the love, so to speak, as the 2020 regular season begins in earnest. With McManus entering a contract year, GM John Elway signed the veteran kicker to a four-year extension worth $17.2 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The team has since announced the extension.

Broncos are giving kicker Brandon McManus a four-year, $17.2 million extension, including $9.5 million fully guaranteed, @rosenhaussports tells ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2020

"Broncos are giving kicker Brandon McManus a four-year, $17.2 million extension, including $9.5 million fully guaranteed, Drew Rosenhaus tells ESPN," Schefter tweeted on Friday evening.

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With an average-per-year of $4.3M, McManus becomes the fourth highest-paid kicker in the league, tied with Green Bay's Mason Crosby. That's a handsome figure but the Broncos believe McManus is worth it.

Connecting on 141-of-173 kicks (81.5%) since arriving in Denver back in 2014, McManus is now getting his second extension with the Broncos. McManus owns Denver’s second-highest overall (regular season and postseason) field goal percentage, connecting on 161-of-193 attempts (82.5%) during his career.

He's coming off a 2019 campaign in which he connected on 29-of-34 attempts (85.3%), converting 25-of-26 extra points. Inside 50 yards, he's been almost automatic the last two years.

Amazing stat on McManus: He’s made 103-of-106 kicks under 50 yds in last 2 years (includes 33-yd extra points). 97.2 % #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) September 12, 2020

Impressive. McManus has always had a big leg, which is why his struggles from 50 yards and beyond are so curious.

McManus was 4-for-7 from 50-plus yards in 2019, which wasn't great, but it was a modest improvement over the 2-for-7 mark he posted in 2018. For his career, he's 17-for-36 on deep kicks (47%).

Game-deciding kicks often come from 50-plus yards, so if he can improve his long-game consistency, and find a way to regain his 'McMoney' reputation in clutch-kick situations, this is a contract extension that'll pay for itself. At 29 years old, McManus is still in his prime and with how long kickers are playing now, it's possible he could garner at least another four-year extension when this one expires.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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