Placekickers are often the most disrespected players in the NFL, but that's definitely not the case for Tyler Bass of the Buffalo Bills. The consistent Bass as rewarded with a 4-year contract extension for $21 million that includes $12.3 million in guaranteed money.
The Bills clearly believe that Bass has secured their kicking situation for the foreseeable future. There may not have been many other teams that would have been willing to extend Bass at this point in his career since he has been with the team just 3 years, but he is coming off a solid 2022 season.
Bass connected on 27 of 31 field goal attempts last year, including 10 of a 11 from 40 to 49 yards and 2 out of 3 from more than 50 yards. That followed a sharp 2021 season in which he connected on 28 of 32 three-point attempts.
Bass was a 6th-round selection of the Bills in 2020 out of Georgia Southern. He handled all the competition that he had as a rookie and made 28 of 34 field goals in his first season.
His dependability may be the biggest reason the Bills decided to make the long-term commitment to the kicker.
Extending Bass was something that the Bills were interested in doing during the offseason, but it was not necessarily a priority. However, when both sides in a negotiation have the same goal and take a reasonable attitude, putting a deal together is a strong possibility.
The Bills are considered one of the elite teams in the AFC and they won the AFC East title again last year. They know that they can feel good about their kicking game and Tyler Bass going forward.