Story perspectives

Steelers lock up Boswell: $28 M extension, tied highest-paid kicker

5/12/2026

Summary

Boswell Gets Extension

The Steelers signed veteran kicker Chris Boswell to a four-year, $28 million extension through 2030.
The $7 million per-year average ties Boswell with Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey as the NFL’s highest-paid kicker.
Boswell, 35, ranked sixth in field-goal percentage (87.7%) and earned All-Pro honors in 2024 after leading the league with 41 field goals and 158 points.
In 2025 he hit a career-long 60-yard game-winning kick that set a Steelers franchise record.

Summary

Boswell Extension

GM Omar Khan said the Boswell extension is the Steelers’ contract for players free-agency in 2027, opening negotiations with 2023 draft picks Joey Porter Jr., Darnell Washington, Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig.
The deal shifts Boswell’s 2026 salary to lower the Steelers’ cap hit, guarantees him $14.7 million, and acknowledges age-related risk as he approaches 40.
Steelers officials said the extension adds uncertainty to quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s future while confirming communications with him.

History

Historical Context

The NFL introduced a hard salary cap in 1994, set at $34.6 million after TV deals raised the original $32 million estimate. That cap forced teams such as the Dallas Cowboys to structure veteran contracts, a practice echoed today when the Pittsburgh Steelers signed kicker Chris Boswell to a four-year extension while managing space for Aaron Rodgers. The 1990s cap framework still shapes modern roster economics.

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Boswell Gets Extension

The Steelers signed veteran kicker Chris Boswell to a four-year, $28 million extension through 2030.
The $7 million per-year average ties Boswell with Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey as the NFL’s highest-paid kicker.
Boswell, 35, ranked sixth in field-goal percentage (87.7%) and earned All-Pro honors in 2024 after leading the league with 41 field goals and 158 points.
In 2025 he hit a career-long 60-yard game-winning kick that set a Steelers franchise record.

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