Steelers Made Right Call By Extending Chris Boswell Early

The Pittsburgh Steelers, after extending Cameron Heyward earlier in the offseason, got the ball rolling once again by handing kicker Chris Boswell a new deal.

The contract, which is worth $28 million over four years, ties Boswell with Brandon Aubrey of the Dallas Cowboys, who landed an identical extension earlier this offseason, for the largest deals for a kicker in NFL history.

Pittsburgh has a number of key players up for extensions, including four members of its 2023 draft class in Joey Porter Jr., Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington and Keeanu Benton, but finding common ground with Boswell a week before OTAs begin was savvy business on the organization's part and a smart move overall.

Oct 26, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers place kicker Chris Boswell (9) kicks a field goal against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

No Reason to Wait

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac stated last week that Boswell, "would appear to be first in line to get a contract extension," which was ultimately true.

The 35-year-old staged a "hold-in" last summer, but his actions didn't result in a new deal for the two-time Pro Bowler.

Given that he was stepping into a contract year this time around, however, the Steelers acted with more urgency and made sure the situation didn't linger over their heads for longer than it needed to.

Furthermore, Aubrey's deal laid the blueprint for Boswell and thus made the entire process seamless for both sides.

There was no real reason for Boswell or Pittsburgh to wait around and exchange figures when the title of the highest-paid kicker in league history was right in front of them, and they wasted no time extending their partnership.

Why Boswell is So Important to the Steelers

As the second-longest tenured player on Pittsburgh's roster behind Heyward, Boswell was well-deserving of his gaudy extension and having the chance to finish out his career with the team.

Because kickers typically age gracefully, there's little to no risk of paying Boswell $7 million per season through 2030. Furthermore, he's proven himself to be among the upper echelon of players at the position and has been an integral part of the team's success for the last decade.

Boswell made 27 of his 32 field goals and 42 of his 43 extra point attempts in 2025. For his career, he's made 87.7 percent of his field goals and 95.7 percent of his extra point tries.

Considering how many teams deal with kicker issues and general turnover at the position, it made all the sense in the world for the Steelers to ensure Boswell stuck around for the foreseeable future.

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