Chase Mclaughlin

Career StatsB-

Year	Team	GP	FG%
Career		66	84.9%
2025		17	84.2%
2024		17	93.8%
2023		17	93.5%
2022		16	83.3%
2021

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Salary-cap math on Chase McLaughlin's contract works out to a B Contract Value Index given the dead-cap exposure and term. The $4.1M average annual value over three years represents fair-market pricing for a kicker who has demonstrated reliability across a seven-year career, though his 2025 season performance grade of B- reflects the baseline consistency you'd expect from a specialist in his stage rather than elite production. The Contract Value Index appropriately balances his modest salary commitment against the positional scarcity at kicker—a role where three-year deals in this price range are standard for proven veterans, and McLaughlin's track record justifies the investment. At 30 years old, he sits squarely in the prime earning window for specialists, where experience and leg strength typically plateau before age-related decline accelerates; the three-year term acknowledges his likely productive window without overcommitting to a player entering the back half of his career. What elevates the narrative around this deal is the media landscape captivated by his historic 65-yard field goal against Philadelphia—a singular accomplishment that has reshaped his national profile far beyond what the contract itself reflects, generating outsized attention across mainstream and fantasy platforms. The Buccaneers' recent addition of backup kicker B.T. Potter suggests organizational clarity that McLaughlin remains the primary leg, and the CVI grade holds firm: this is a sensible, market-rate contract for a veteran specialist whose leg has just produced the most talked-about kick of the offseason.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the B band — a quick read on where Chase's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Tape review and box-score baselines converge on a B- performance grade for Chase McLaughlin. At 30 years old and seven seasons into his NFL career, McLaughlin occupies the tier of a solid-to-above-average specialist whose leg talent and consistency have proven reliable at the position, though he does not rank among the elite echelon of kickers who deliver both volume and accuracy at the highest level. His 2025 season workload of 17 games demonstrates durability and trust from the coaching staff, a hallmark of a kicker who stays healthy and available when it matters. The standout element of his profile is the historic 65-yard field goal against Philadelphia—a record-setting individual accomplishment that speaks to legitimate leg strength and the ability to execute in high-leverage moments, even when the team outcome falls short. What tempers the performance grade is the gap between one transcendent kick and consistent, elite-level accuracy across the full season; kickers are ultimately graded on their aggregate reliability, and a B- reflects solid execution without dominant statistical dominance. Heading into 2026, McLaughlin enters the season with substantial narrative momentum and a national profile unusual for the position, but the grade itself reflects what tape and production data show: a capable veteran specialist whose leg has proven it belongs in important games, not a perennial All-Pro candidate.

How Chase Compares at the Position

Chase Mclaughlin ranks 8th of 39 graded pks by performance. That slots Chase between Cam Little (B-) just ahead and Ben Sauls (B-) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Coverage volume around Chase McLaughlin produces a B+ sentiment grade in the current window. The narrative surrounding the 30-year-old kicker has been fundamentally reshaped by a single, historically significant achievement: his 65-yard field goal against Philadelphia, which stands as the longest outdoor make in NFL history. This record-setting leg has generated outsized national attention across mainstream sports media, fantasy football platforms, and data analytics outlets—the kind of coverage typically reserved for star offensive weapons, not specialists. The disconnect between his B- performance grade and the B+ sentiment reflects a media landscape captivated by a genuine outlier moment; despite the Buccaneers' loss in that same game, McLaughlin's individual accomplishment has insulated his reputation from any negative team-result spillover. The Buccaneers' recent decision to sign backup placekicker B.T. Potter (while retaining McLaughlin) does not appear to have dented the prevailing narrative—if anything, the offseason moves around the roster signal Tampa Bay's intent to compete, placing McLaughlin's leg in a more prominent organizational context. Heading into 2026, McLaughlin sits as one of the league's most quietly ascending specialists, with fantasy and real-roster analysts increasingly treating him as a legitimate top-tier option worth monitoring—a career-altering shift driven entirely by one extraordinary kick.