Buccaneers have the NFL’s best kicker in Chase McLaughlin

The kicker position is often overlooked in the NFL, but when you’re the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and have a kicker as elite as Chase McLaughlin, it’s impossible to ignore how valuable a bona fide star at the position can be.

McLaughlin has been automatic, and he’s one of only two kickers in the NFL this season to have made every field goal and extra point attempt through eight weeks.

His success since joining the Buccaneers speaks for itself, and there’s a growing argument that he’s not just one of the NFL’s best kickers — he’s the best. 

Buccaneers' Chase McLaughlin is the NFL’s most reliable kicker 

McLaughlin is 19-for-19 on field goal attempts this season, with a long of 59 yards. He’s also 17-for-17 on extra points.

His perfect season was challenged in Week 8, when the Buccaneers played the Atlanta Falcons in a monsoon. Atlanta’s kicker, Nick Folk, proved just how difficult it is to operate in those conditions, missing his only field goal attempt by a wide margin.

But McLaughlin was unfazed, drilling all three of his field goal attempts in the torrential downpour along with his only extra point attempt.

The Buccaneers struggled for years to find a reliable kicker, cycling through a revolving door of failed experiments. Finally landing on McLaughlin has been a blessing that this franchise won’t take for granted.

Chase McLaughlin is the most accurate kicker in NFL history from 50-plus yards

Last season, McLaughlin made NFL history as the first kicker ever to make 11 straight attempts from 50-plus yards in a single season. 

His success wasn’t just a one-off, either. Among players with at least 25 attempts, he’s the most accurate kicker in NFL history from 50-plus yards with an impressive 85% conversion rate. He’s made 47-of-55 kicks from long distance in his career, and he’s made 30-of-34 from 50-plus (88%) since joining the Buccaneers in 2023.

Adding to his résumé, McLaughlin drilled a 65-yarder last season for what was, at the time, the record for the longest outdoor field goal in NFL history. 

His overall career field goal percentage of 86.34% ranks No. 14 all-time, making him one of the most accurate kickers the league has ever seen, from any distance. 

Since joining the Buccaneers in 2023, he’s made 110-of-120 field goal attempts for an incredible 91.6% success rate. To put that remarkable accuracy in perspective, only one kicker in NFL history has a career success rate over 90%.  

McLaughlin has become a huge weapon for Tampa Bay, and it’s quite a luxury to know the offense only has to reach the opponent’s 40-yard line to be firmly within his range to put points on the board.

Chase McLaughlin is forcing the NFL to recognize his greatness

It seems the football world is finally starting to come around on McLaughlin’s excellence.

Adam Fromal, FanSided’s resident kicking expert, ranked every kicker in the NFL using his proprietary Kick Value Added (KVA) metric, which evaluates kicking performance by measuring value added or lost relative to league distance expectations.

After ranking as the NFL’s No. 7 kicker in FanSided’s preseason rankings, McLaughlin has climbed up to No. 3 in the midseason update.

“Chase McLaughlin has put on a kicking masterclass in 2026… After flirting with elite status in previous campaigns, he's earning it in full during his age-30 season.”

No. 3 is nothing to scoff at, but even that feels low considering how automatic McLaughlin has been.

I’ll continue to pound the table for McLaughlin to get the recognition he deserves as the NFL's best kicker for as long as he continues to send every attempt through the uprights.

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