NFL Highest Paid Punters: Top Earners in 2024/2025
As well-known NFL announcer Rich Eisen is known to say, punters are people too. Not all of them will receive the post-playing fame of current NFL talking head Pat McAfee, but they can still play a key role for their respective teams.
Don’t expect to find punters listed among the most valuable NFL positions. However, teams will still extend seven-figure contracts to players who can pin teams back when the offense fizzles out. Those who do it the best are among the NFL’s highest-paid punters.
Many sports fans probably wouldn’t recognize a top NFL punter if they walked by one. Punters can earn a hefty annual salary and have plenty of staying power since punters tend to have longer careers than players who take and give hits regularly.
Let’s take a closer look at the salaries for NFL punters, even if the play at the other positions might impact the weekly NFL odds more frequently than punters.
Breaking Down NFL Punters’ Salaries
College teams love bringing in punters from Australia, so it should not be a huge surprise that the highest-paid punter in the NFL hails from Sydney.
Michael Dickson is entering his eighth season with the Seattle Seahawks after a strong career at Texas.
Dickson has averaged more than 43 yards in net punting in four of the last five seasons. He even made his second career tackle during the 2024 season. With Seattle ranking ninth out of 16 NFC teams in points scored, having a quality punter is not the worst idea.
Dickson leads all NFL punters with an average annual salary of $3.675 million, $7.5 million in guaranteed money (all guaranteed at the time of his contract signing), and a cap hit of $4.25 million in the 2025 season.
Dickson is just fourth in total cash paid out to the NFL’s highest-paid punters, with Jamie Gillan of the New York Giants leading the way with a total cash number of $3.5 million after he re-signed for $9 million over three years.
Dixon, Scott Getting Paid
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used three punters during the 2024 NFL season with different levels of success. That shouldn’t be the case with the Buccaneers signing the well-traveled Riley Dixon to a contract that puts him among the top five highest-paid NFL punters.
JK Scott of the Los Angeles Chargers signed a two-year extension at $3 million per season.
Carolina signed Sam Martin to a one-year contract. The Dallas Cowboys are bringing back Bryan Anger on a two-year deal. Ryan Wright (Minnesota Vikings), Johnny Hekker (Tennessee Titans), and Tress Way (Washington Commanders) also re-signed with their current teams.
Who is the highest-paid punter in the NFL as of 2024/2025?
Seattle’s Michael Dickson’s $14.7 million contract makes him the highest-paid NFL punter.
Which punter has signed the largest contract in NFL history?
Dickson’s most recent contract has set the bar for the agents of top punters to shoot at.
What factors influence a punter’s salary in the NFL?
Reliability is crucial for punters. There may only be once per game when a punter needs to come through. The ones who can punt their teams out of danger without giving a dangerous returner a chance to alter field position will earn the top contracts.
Who are the top five highest-paid punters in 2024/2025?
Michael Dickson of the Seattle Seahawks and Jack Fox of the Detroit Lions are the only two punters set to earn more than $3.5 million during the 2025 NFL season.
- Cole of the Las Vegas Raiders, Jacksonville’s Logan Cooke, Tapa Bay’s Riley Dixon, Jamie Gillan of the New York Giants, Pittsburgh’s Cameron Johnston, Houston’s Tommy Townsend, and JK Scott of the Los Angeles Chargers will all bring in $3 million in 2025.
How do punter salaries compare to other special teams positions?
Kickers still lead the way in the top salaries for special teams players. Dickson ranks behind 20 kickers in average annual salary.
Punters are among the lowest-paid NFL players. Even the top punters usually account for no more than 2% of the available cap space for an NFL team.
