It wasn’t too long ago that Jake Elliott looked like a broken kicker. He was missing gimme field goals while the Philadelphia Eagles quietly brought in other legs for tryouts. Then, Elliott got his mojo back in a major way and now he’s the highest-paid kicker in football.
Eagles sign Jake Elliott to record-breaking new deal
The Eagles have inked Jake Elliott to a four-year, $24 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The contract extension makes the 29-year-old the highest-paid kicker on an annual basis ($6 million per year), well the money ties him for that honor with future Hall of Famer Justin Tucker.
The decision to lock up Jake Elliott means the Eagles will have stability on their special-teams unit after inking long snapper Rick Lovato and punter Braden Mann to extensions in recent days. Elliott, a fifth-round pick in 2017, earned his first All-Pro nod last season and set career highs in field-goal percentage (93.8) and field goals of 50 yards or greater (7).
He also scored 135 points which moved him into third place on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 775 points. Elliott is also considered to be the best athlete on the team, according to his teammates and coaches.
“The person that’s incredible that doesn’t lose at anything is Jake Elliott,” Nick Sirianni told reporters in 2021. “He’s phenomenal at everything. He can play ping-pong, throw the ball, kick. I haven’t seen him shoot a basketball yet.”
Boston Scott added (via All PHLY): “You know you use the term ‘Jack of all trades’ where they’re good at everything and master of none? He’s really, really good at a lot of things! It’s kind of annoying. He’s good at a lot of stuff, bro: Ping-pong, golfing, bowling.”
Jason Kelce Ready to Return? (Just Kidding)
Is Jason Kelce already regretting his decision to retire after 13 incredible seasons? Probably not, although he did admit that watching the Eagles sign a big-time star like Saquon Barkley has been bittersweet. Kelce, appearing on his “New Heights” podcast, said he was a “little upset” about not being able to share a locker room with Barkley.
“I’m a little upset that Howie waited until I retired to make a move like this but you know it’s fine. It’ll work out great,” Kelce said. “I could not be more bullish about it last week. This is what I’m regretting … I knew when I retired that I was going to miss just an outstanding season for the Philadelphia Eagles and it sucks. It really does. I want to be a part of this so bad.”
Don’t read too much into Kelce’s comments. He added that he’s “pretty positive” about his decision to retire from football, then took the opportunity to hype up Jeff Stoutland and the Eagles’ offensive line as reasons why Barkley will have a breakout 2024 campaign.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
