Michael Dickson: Signing Extension With Seahawks 'The Best Thing That Could Have Happened to Me'
RENTON, WA - Seahawks punter Michael Dickson is a man of many talents and accomplishments. Whether it be his Australian charm, mic'd up rap-alongs or non-traditional punting style, he's been one of the more unique individuals on Seattle's roster and a fan-favorite since entering the NFL in 2018.
So of course, he and his girlfriend celebrated the finalization of his new four-year extension in a way befitting of his personality last Friday: with pizza.
"We had talked about it that morning like, 'Ah, let's get pizza tonight,'" Dickson recalled when talking to reporters following the conclusion of Seattle's eighth OTA session. "Then I signed the deal and I was looking forward to pizza all day so I was like, 'We're getting pizza.'"
Now $14.5 million richer, Dickson can afford an extra topping or two on his future pizza orders. A well-earned raise for a player who's more than lived up to his fifth-round draft slot three springs ago.
In order to get Dickson in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Seahawks traded pick No. 156 and a seventh-round selection to the Broncos for pick No. 149. Choosing a punter in the mid-rounds of the draft is a rarity, let alone trading up to do so, but Seattle knew better than most how special the Sydney, Australia native could be. Nevertheless, jokes were cracked and reports even went as far as to indicate Denver's war room erupted in laughter when the pick came through.
How did Dickson respond? Simply by finishing second in the league in yards per punt (48.2) while taking home first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, all within his rookie season.
Following that up the next year was a tall order. As such, Dickson saw that average go down by three yards (45.1) and failed to earn the acclaim he did the season prior. Upon reflection, he attributes his regression to setting unrealistic expectations for himself and getting out of his usual mindset.
"My second year, I think I was just trying to do too much and put too much of a standard of something that was just unachievable," Dickson explained. "It resulted in a lot of ups and downs."
That said, his 2019 campaign was far from abysmal. He saw an improvement in punts within the opponent's 20-yard line (from 28 to 34) and didn't have a single punt blocked, though one was returned for a touchdown for the first time in his career.
"When I look back at it and look at that year objectively, there was still, like, a lot of good things that came from that year."
Dickson came back strong in 2020, incorporating journaling and meditation into his routine. Aiming to avoid the mental drawbacks of setting the bar too high once again and objectively analyze his past performances, he entered his third career season with a clearer mind. And it showed as he put up career-highs in yards per punt (49.6) and net average (44.4).
"[I] was able to look at my practice sessions more objectively," Dickson noted as a key part of his improvements. "Sometimes I'll leave a practice session thinking I've punted pretty bad, and then I'll look over the film and go, 'Oh wow, that was a lot better than I left the field [thinking],' which I didn't do my second year. I'd kinda just watch it and not write all the notes, not take all my stats and compare them to the days before."
The mental gymnastics required to be a professional kicker or punter in the NFL is a lot to overcome. One bad snap or kick can end a career and follow a player for a lifetime. It's easy to become overly critical of oneself because of the constant pressure placed on the role, and Dickson was no stranger to that. Being able to head into 2020 with an open mind helped take some of that self-induced pressure off, allowing him to get back to what made him so successful in his first season.
"Last year, I made sure I was super objective about everything and took all of the emotion out of it and that really allowed me to improve and stay consistent."
The work he put in more than paid off, with the Seahawks extending Dickson through the 2025 season. For him, this realized a dream he's long held since meeting former Seattle special teams coordinator Brian Schneider at the University of Texas' pro day in 2018.
"He really told me about the team," Dickson remembered. "And I wanted to get to the Seahawks, then they drafted me and that was a dream come true. And to know that I can spend another, you know, four or five years here is just the best thing that could have happened to me for sure."
