Daniel Carlson is one of the best NFL kickers in the league and he proved it in a major way this past season – breaking a record for the most field goals made from 50+ yards out in a single season. He finished the year 11 of 13 from that far out and hit at least one in 9 of the 16 games he played in.
He attempted two field goals from 50+ yards out on three occasions, going 2 for 2 in Week 5 against the Chiefs, 2 for 2 in Week 11 against the Broncos, and 1 for 2 in Week 13 against the Chargers. His longest of the season was 57 yards, which he did twice – Week 11 vs. the Broncos and Week 17 vs. the 49ers.
Carlson has established himself as one of the most accurate kickers in the game today and is now 24 of 29 from 50+ yards out in his career – he went 6 of 7 from that range in 2021 and 4 of 4 from that range in 2020. Keep in mind, he also led all NFL kickers in 2021 in field goals attempted (43) and made (40).
21 NFL Kickers Had at Least 4 Field Goals of 50+ Yards
Believe it or not, there were seven NFL kickers that had an opportunity to break the record for most 50+ yard field goals in a single season in 2022 – meaning they had at least 11 attempts from that far out. While three of them came close with 9 made field goals from that range, only Carlson had more than 10.
Taking a look at the league as a whole, 35 NFL kickers attempted at least one 50+ yard field goal and 33 of them made at least one. There were a total of 224 field goal attempts and 154 field goals made from 50+ yards out. NFL kickers had their fair share of opportunity from deep and made roughly 69% of them.
Making a 50+ yard field goal isn’t easy, especially when weather complicates things or the pressure is high. And, while Daniel Carlson led all NFL kickers in that category, it’s worth noting that there were 20 other NFL kickers with at least four made field goals from 50+ yards in 2022. Let’s see who they are!
20. Nick Folk – 4 of 5
Nick Folk just completed his 15th season in the NFL and fourth season as the New England Patriots’ starting kicker. He made 4 of his 5 field goals from 50+ yards – 80% of his attempts from that distance. He hit a 50-yarder in Week 3, 52-yarder in Week 8, 51-yarder in Week 14, and 54-yarder in Week 15.
Taking a look at his career, Folk is now 36 of 58 from 50+ yards out – hitting at least one every single season. He hit a career-high 5 field goals from that distance last season, but wasn’t as accurate (missing three total in 2021). His career-long is 56 yards, which he hit during the 2010 season with the Jets.
19. Cairo Santos – 4 of 5
Cairo Santos just completed his 9th season in the NFL and third season as the Chicago Bears’ starting kicker. He made 21 of his 23 field goals and 27 of his 32 extra points – totaling 90 points on the season. He made 4 of his 5 field goals from 50+ yards out and 6 of his 7 field goals between 40-49 yards out.
A majority of his 50-yard field goals came in the first half of the season. He hit a 50-yard field goal in Week 3 vs. the Texans, a 50-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 5 vs. the Vikings, and a 50-yard field goal in Week 7 vs. the Patriots. He’s now 14 of 27 from that distance and his longest was 55 yards.
18. Will Lutz – 4 of 6
Will Lutz just completed his sixth season in the NFL and sixth season as the New Orleans Saints’ starting kicker. He made just 23 of his 31 field goals – including 4 of 6 from 50+ yards out and 4 of 8 from 40-49 yards out. He’s now 17 of 29 from 50+ yards out, with his longest being 60 yards during the 2022 season.
Lutz hit a 51-yard field goal in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, a 60-yard field goal in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, a 56-yard field goal in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks, and a 54-yard field goal in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles. His two misses came in Week 4 and Week 18.
17. Joey Slye – 4 of 6
Joey Slye just completed his fourth season in the NFL and his first full season as the Washington Commanders’ starting kicker. He made 25 of his 30 field goals in 2022 – including 4 of 6 from 50+ yards out and 8 of 10 between 40-49 yards. His longest was 58 yards, which set a new career-high for him.
Slye hit a 50-yard field goal in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, a 58-yard and 55-yard field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10, and a 51-yard field goal against the New York Giants in Week 15. His two misses from that distance came in Week 13 (Giants) and Week 18 (Cowboys).
16. Cade York – 4 of 7
Cade York was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and just completed his rookie year – so being on this list is quite impressive. He made 24 of his 32 field goals in 2022, including 4 of 7 from 50+ yards out and 6 of 8 from 40-49 yards out. His longest was 58 yards.
York made a 58-yard field goal in his debut in Week 1 vs. the Panthers, a 51-yard field goal vs. the Patriots in Week 6, a 55-yard field goal vs. the Bengals in Week 8, and a 51-yard field goal vs. the Buccaneers in Week 12. His three misses from that far out came in Week 5, Week 7, and Week 8.
15. Greg Joseph – 4 of 10
Greg Joseph just completed his fourth season in the NFL and second season as the Minnesota Vikings’ starting kicker. He made 26 of his 33 field goals – six of those misses coming from 50+ yards out. He finished the year 4 of 10 from that far out and 7 of 8 from 40-49 yards. His longest was from 61 yards out.
Joseph made a 56-yard field goal in Week 1, but struggles ensued as he missed his next five field goals from 50+ yards out – two in Week 3, two in Week 5, and another in Week 8. Things got better later in the season, going 3 of 4 in the final six weeks – including a game-winning 61-yard field on Christmas Eve.
14. Evan McPherson – 5 of 5
Evan McPherson just completed his second season in the NFL after being drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 5th round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He was incredible as a rookie, hitting 9 of his 11 field goals from 50+ yards out and followed that up with a perfect 5 of 5 from that distance in 2022.
A majority of McPherson’s long field goals came in the first half of the season – hitting a 59-yard field goal in Week 1, a 50-yard field goal in Week 2, a 57-yard field goal in Week 4, and a 52-yard field goal in Week 6. His final long field goal came in Week 11. He’s now 14 of 16 from 50+ yards out in his career.
13. Jake Elliott – 5 of 6
Jake Elliott just completed his sixth season in the NFL, all of which have been spent with the Philadelphia Eagles after being drafted by the team in 2017. He was just 6 of 14 from beyond 50 yards between 2018 and 2020, but made 3 of his 3 field goals from that distance in 2021 and 5 of 6 in 2022.
Elliott made a 51-yard field goal in Week 6, a 54-yard field goal in Week 12, a 56-yard field goal in Week 17, and a 54-yard and 52-yard field goal in Week 18. His one miss on the season came from 54 yards out in Week 9. He’s now 19 of 29 from 50+ yards out in his career as his percentage continues to increase.
12. Matt Prater – 5 of 6
Matt Prater just completed his 16th season in the NFL and second season as the Arizona Cardinals’ starting kicker. He currently holds the record for most career field goals from 50+ yards out – he’s 71 of 95 in his career, including 5 of 6 during the 2022 season. His career-long is from 64 yards out in 2013.
Prater didn’t attempt a field goal from that far out until Week 14, but ended up missing a 50-yard field goal on the opening drive. Things picked up for Prater in Week 15, hitting a 50-yarder and 55-yarder, and Week 16, hitting a 56-yarder and 53-yarder. He followed that up with a 57-yard field goal in Week 17.
11. Jason Myers – 6 of 6
Jason Myers just completed his eighth season in the NFL and fourth season as the Seattle Seahawks’ starting kicker. After only hitting 3 of 5 from 50+ yards out in 2021, Myers had himself a perfect season from that distance in 2022, hitting all six of his field goal attempts. He’s now 29 of 43 in his career.
Myers made a 56-yard field goal in Week 4, a 56-yard field goal in Week 5, a 50-yard field goal in Week 7, a 51-yard field goal in Week 8, a 55-yard field goal in Week 10, and a 51-yard field goal in Week 15. He also hit a 56-yard field goal in his lone playoff game, technically finishing the year 7 of 7 from long range.
10. Ka’imi Fairbairn – 6 of 6
Ka’imi Fairbairn just completed his sixth season in the NFL – all of which with the Houston Texans after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Ironically, he has attempted six field goals from 50+ yards out in each of the past five years, but 2022 was the first time in his career he went 6 for 6.
Fairbairn made a 50-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 5 against the Jaguars, a 55-yard field goal in Week 7 against the Raiders, a 50-yard and 54-yard field goal in Week 14 against the Cowboys, and a season-high 56-yard field goal in Week 17 against the Jaguars. His all-time career-high was a 61-yarder.
9. Greg Zuerlein – 6 of 11
Greg Zuerlein just completed his 11th season in the NFL and first season as the New York Jets’ starting kicker. He has struggled from long range in recent years, only making 5 of his 14 field goals from beyond 50 yards in 2020 and 2021. While he hit six of them in 2022, he also missed five – finishing 6 for 11.
Zuerlein made a 57-yard field goal in Week 2, a 50-yard and 52-yard field goal in Week 3, a 53-yard field goal in Week 9, a 57-yard field goal in Week 12, and a 60-yard field goal in Week 13. He had misses from long range in Week 6, Week 12, Week 15, Week 17, and Week 18. His all-time career-high was 61 yards.
8. Chris Boswell – 7 of 9
Chris Boswell just completed his eighth season in the NFL – all of which with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has been consistently good for the team over his career, but had one of his worst showings in 2022 – finishing 20 of 28 with field goals. The good news is he was money from long range – finishing 7 of 9.
Boswell made a 53-yard field goal in Week 1, a 52-yard field goal in Week 2, a 59-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 4, a 55-yard field goal in Week 6, a 50-yard field goal in Week 15, and a 51-yard field goal in Week 17 – his two misses came in Week 1 and Week 16. His 59-yarder in Week 4 tied a career-high.
7. Matt Gay – 7 of 9
Matt Gay just completed his fourth season in the NFL and third season as the starting kicker for the Los Angeles Rams. He made 5 of 6 field goals from beyond 50 yards in his first two seasons with the Rams and followed that up with an impressive 7 of 9 from 50+ yards in 2022. He’s now 17 of 23 in his career.
Gay made a 57-yard field goal in Week 1, a 58-yard field goal in Week 11, a 54-yard field goal in Week 13, a 55-yard field goal in Week 14, a 55-yard field goal in Week 15, and a 55-yard and 53-yard field goal in Week 16 – he hit at least one 50+ yard field goal in 4 straight games. His 58-yarder tied a career-high.
6. Younghoe Koo – 7 of 11
Younghoe Koo just completed his fifth season in the NFL and fourth season as the starting kicker for the Atlanta Falcons. He was money from beyond 50 yards in his first three seasons with the Falcons, making 13 of his 14 attempts. And while he took a dip in 2022, he was still impressive, making 7 of 11 from deep.
Koo made a 54-yard and 50-yard field goal in Week 1, a 54-yard field goal in Week 3, a 53-yard field goal in Week 12, a 50-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 14, and a 51-yard field goal in Week 18. He had misses from that range in Week 1, Week 5, Week 9, and Week 13. His career-high is from 54 yards out.
5. Graham Gano – 8 of 9
Graham Gano just completed his 13th season in the league and third season as the starting kicker for the New York Giants. He has been consistently good from 50+ yards over the past four seasons, making 23 of his 29 attempts from that range – including an impressive 8 of 9 during the 2022 season.
Gano had an impressive stretch early in the year where he made a 52-yard and 56-yard field goal in Week 2 and two 51-yard field goals in Week 3 – he was 4 of 4 through the first three games. He also had a 57-yard field goal in Week 12, two 50-yard field goals in Week 15, and a 55-yard field goal in Week 16.
4. Brandon McManus – 8 of 13
Brandon McManus just completed his ninth season in the NFL – all of which with the Denver Broncos. He has gotten a lot of reps from outside of 50 yards over the past three seasons, but doesn’t always connect on them consistently. Since 2020, he is just 23 of 37 from that range – including 8 of 13 in 2022.
McManus made a 50-yard field in Week 2, a 55-yard field goal in Week 3, a 51-yard field goal in Week 6, a 52-yard field goal in Week 11, a 52-yard and 50-yard field goal in Week 13, a 52-yard field goal in Week 15, and a 54-yard field goal in Week 16. His career-high was a 61-yard field goal, which he hit in 2021.
3. Brett Maher – 9 of 11
Brett Maher just completed his fourth season in the NFL and third season as the starting kicker for the Dallas Cowboys (second stint). He was just 4 of 9 from 50+ yards out between 2019 and 2021, but was money from that range in 2022 – he made 9 of his 11 attempts, including an incredible 60-yarder.
Maher made a 51-yard field goal in Week 1, a 54-yard and 50-yard (game-winning) field goal in Week 2, a 53-yard field goal in Week 4, a 53-yard, 60-yard, and 50-yard field goal in Week 10, and a 53-yard field goal in Week 13 and 14. He’s the only kicker on this list to make three 50+ yard field goals in the same game.
2. Chase McLaughlin – 9 of 12
Chase McLaughlin just completed his fourth season in the NFL and first season as starting kicker for the Indianapolis Colts – he has already played on six teams in his career. He had his best season yet, hitting 30 of 36 field goals and 9 of 12 from beyond 50 yards – he is now 17 of 21 from that range in his career.
McLaughlin made a 51-yard field goal in Week 2, a 52-yard and 51-yard field goal in Week 5, a 50-yard field goal in Week 7, a 51-yard field goal in Week 11, a 51-yard field goal in Week 12, a 52-yard field goal in Week 13, a 52-yard field goal in Week 15, and a 54-yard field goal in Week 14. He made one in four consecutive games.
1. Justin Tucker – 9 of 14
Justin Tucker just completed his 11th season in the NFL – all of which with the Baltimore Ravens. He led the league in both field goal makes and attempts in 2022 as he continues to prove he’s one of the all-time greats. He also led the league in attempts from 50+ yards out (14) in 2022, but only made nine of them.
Tucker made a 51-yard field goal in Week 2, a 56-yard field goal in Week 3, a 51-yard field goal in Week 4, a 58-yard field goal in Week 5, a 55-yard field goal in Week 7, a 55-yard field goal in Week 12, a 53-yard field goal in Week 15, a 51-yard field goal in Week 17, and a 51-yard field goal in Week 18.
Which NFL Kickers Have the Most Career Field Goals of 50+ Yards?
Daniel Carlson broke the record for most field goals made from 50+ yards in a single season, but do you know who held that record before him? It used to be 10 made field goals and was shared by three NFL kickers – Blair Walsh did it in 2012, Justin Tucker did it in 2016, and Brandon McManus did it in 2020.
With that said, no one has hit more field goals from 50+ yards in their career than Matt Prater. He hit 5 of 6 this past season for the Arizona Cardinals and now has 71 career field goals made from that far out (in 95 attempts). He has hit 75% of them throughout his 16-year career, but his career might be ending soon.
Doing some ‘quick maths,’ Carlson is averaging 4.8 made field goals from 50+ yards per season (24 in five years). If he can keep that up for the next 10+ years, he’ll have a shot at passing Prater’s all-time record (he’s averaging 4.4 field goals made from 50+ yards in 16 seasons). All we can do is wait and see.
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