Evan McPherson is well on his way to a significant pay bump with the Bengals — that is, if he keeps playing at his current level the next couple of years.
The second-year kicker out of Florida is still in his rookie contract with Cincinnati, but he already appears to be a smart investment by a team on the cusp of a second consecutive Super Bowl berth.
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McPherson made 28 of 33 field goal kicks in his first season, followed by an incredible 14-of-14 mark in four games during the 2022 playoffs. Though his stats in the ’22 regular season didn’t quite live up to his rookie campaign, he remains one of the Bengals’ top weapons.
Here’s how much McPherson is making in 2023, as well as the money he stands to make in the future and where he ranks among current NFL kickers:
MORE: Longest field goals made by McPherson & more to know
Evan McPherson contract breakdown
The Bengals have enjoyed a great return on their investment in McPherson, whose $910,928 cap hit reflects only 0.43 percent of Cincinnati’s cap space for the 2022 season (per Spotrac).
In 2022, McPherson made 24 of 29 field-goal attempts (82.8 percent), including 5 of 5 from 50-plus yards out. He has hit on all three field-goal attempts in the 2023 NFL playoffs.
| Year | Yearly cash |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $1.003,712* |
| 2022 | $825,000 |
| 2023 | $940,000 |
| 2024 | $1,055,000 |
* Cash figure breakdown: $660,000 base salary and $343,712 signing bonus.
MORE: McPherson watching Super Bowl 56 halftime show ‘a real sore subject’ for Bengals’ special teams coach
NFL’s highest-paid kickers
McPherson’s $825,000 salary for the 2022 season is nothing to sneeze at, but he has a ways to go before he is making multimillion dollars a year like some of his contemporaries.
Indeed, he ranks last in 2022 salary among the kickers still in the playoffs: the 49ers’ Robbie Gould and Eagles’ Jake Elliott ($4 million each) and the Chiefs’ Harrison Butker ($3.48 million). Here are the top 10 kicker salaries for the 2022 season, per Spotrac:
| Rank | Player, team | 2022 salary |
| 1 | Chris Boswell, Steelers | $9.82 million |
| 2 | Younghoe Koo, Falcons | $8 million |
| 3 | Justin Tucker, Ravens | $6.75 million |
| T-4 | Robbie Gould, 49ers | $4 million |
| T-4 | Jake Elliott, Eagles | $4 million |
| T-4 | Jason Meyers, Seahawks | $4 million |
| 7 | Graham Gano, Giants | $3.75 million |
| 8 | Wil Lutz, Saints | $3.85 million |
| 9 | Matt Prater, Cardinals | $3.58 million |
| 10 | Ka’imi Fairbairn, Texans | $3.55 million |
As of now, McPherson is the 23rd-highest paid kicker in the NFL. If he continues to make clutch kicks for the Bengals, he will soon rocket up that list.
