Last season four of the Broncos’ eight regular-season victories ended with a Matt Prater field goal splitting the uprights.
On Monday, the team locked up its clutch kicker with a four-year contract, Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway announced on Twitter.
“Happy to announce we have signed kicker Matt Prater to a new four-year deal,” Elway said. “This was the final piece in setting our roster for camp, and we are thrilled Matt is going to be a Bronco for a long time. Matt has developed into one of the NFL’s elite kickers and is a big part of our team.”
Prater, whose four game-winning kicks on the last play of the game in 2011 tied for the second most in a season in NFL history, converted 19-of-25 field goals and all 30 extra point attempts last season. He led the team with 87 total points and finished first in the NFL with his 70.1 touchback percentage on kickoffs.
“It’s something I’ve been working for since I was a little kid,” Prater said. “I’m super excited and very thankful to Mr. Bowlen, Mr. Elway, and the entire organization.”
In 2011, Prater became one of just three players in league history with at least four game-winning field goals in overtime or as time expired in regulation. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors for the final month of the season after ending games with field goals in Weeks 12-14 to become the first player to kick a walk-off field goal in three consecutive games since 1998.
His three overtime field goals tied for the most in NFL history for a single season and his overtime kicks (52 yds. at Miami and 51 yds. vs. Chicago) tie for the third and fifth-longest overtime field goals in NFL history.
“I think it will make it easier just so I can really focus on just kicking and nothing else, nothing off the field or anything like that,” he said. “I can just focus on kicking so I think that will be good for me.”
Prater earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week following his historic feat against the Bears in Week 14 when he tied his career long with a 59-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game. He then won the game with a 51-yard kick in overtime to join Mike Vanderjagt as the only two players in NFL history to kick a 50+ yard field goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation and convert a 50+ game-winning field goal in the extra session.
“Matt is a guy who’s been with a couple different teams and found his niche here,” Special Teams Coordinator Jeff Rodgers said. “He’s done a good job. If you had to say what can he hang his hat on, the two things he does the best are his leg strength and his ability to make kicks last year when we needed him. That’s a good feeling going forward. Any time you get a guy who you trust, you certainly want to have that continue. Finding out that you have a kicker you can count on certainly is something you want to have year in and year out.”
The fifth-year kicker has made 91-of-116 field goals (78.4 pct.) in his career along with 130-of-132 PAT attempts for 403 total points. He ranks second in the league with 114 touchbacks on kickoffs since 2008, his first full season in the NFL.
Prater is looking forward to returning to work with long snapper Lonie Paxton and holder Britton Colquitt. He said he’s kept in touch with them throughout the process but has missed being able to spend time with them.
“Those guys are the best in the business,” Prater said. “I love working with those guys and I actually missed just being here and hanging out with those guys. I’m excited to get back and working with them.”
With a long-term contract inked, Prater is ready to focus on the upcoming season with no distractions about the future.
“I can’t even put into words how I feel right now – how excited and thankful I am,” Prater said. “We have a great group of guys from top to bottom from the head coach down so it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
-Stuart Zaas
Tags: Matt Prater
Yeah!!!!!!!! You are so right. It only matters now, not week one. In 9 weeks we will be watching the third quarter of the Steelers @ Broncos!!!
Just when I thought I couldn’t hate the Steelers anymore, they go and hire Todd Haley…. Ughhh
I’m the crazy Broncos fan who actually likes the Steelers and I hate Todd Haley for lesson with Ben. I am telling you Bill’s minions are sent out to destroy teams that show promise. LOL no joke
Messing with Ben*
Good Morning Broncos Country!
I hope everyone had a super weekend! We had a great visit with our folks………they were blown away with how much our little girl has grown…….even though it’s only been about 7 weeks since they last saw her. Goes to show how much change you don’t notice as much when your’re around her day in and day out. She must’ve made about 3 full laps around Walmart on Saturday and didn’t want any help what-so-ever. Priceless! lol
No real Broncos news to discuss……………I checked out that link AB………and I don’t think I want a guy on my team who seems as lazy as his coaches make him out to be.
Can training camp just get here already?!?!?!?
GO BRONCOS!
Kod! One month from today is Broncos/Bears preseason football! (-;
Mornin cat! Yes, and it can’t come fast enough. I was really looking forward to the game against Cutler last year but that didn’t happen…………and we won’t get much of a game against him this year either………maybe just a few series but it’s only pre-season. Perhaps a reg season game next year.
I know there was some discussion about the pats easy schedule………..why is it that seems to happen every year, even though they usually always finish atop the division every year? Doesn’t really make sense to me……….you’d think they’d have a tougher schedule each year.
Roger Goodell loves them. I swear its cheating but that’s just MO.
I know what you mean about Cutler. I know he would’ve rather played that game especially. We would not have won that game had he been in it so I guess we can thank him for breaking his thumb so we could make the playoffs. My brother is going this year. We play Eli’s division next year so I don’t know how the other NFC teams are scheduled…
Kod we’ll just plan on playing him in the Super Bowl. Then we don’t have to wait three years… isn’t it an every four year cycle?
Hey y’all. Sorry to leave ya hangin cat, had to get off to bed. I could really use some Broncos news, but then again, no news is good news I suppose.. Let’s get the Brock and Ronnie show locked uptime week! Here’s something I found funny:
http://predominantlyorange.com/2012/07/08/with-long-term-deal-matt-prater-can-move-out-of-hotel-room/
yeah, you’re right…………every four years………switching divisions each year. Would be awesome to play against and destroy cutler and marshall in the SB!
Goodell and Kraft are prob bosom buddies…………
*locked up this week
OT I have faith we will get one of them soon!!!!
Kod, yeah I want us to play Eli or Jay in the SB because both story lines would consume the NFL! LOL
AND then Peyton would’ve beat the Bears in both of his SB and become the first QB to win a SB with two different teams. There is a first time for EVERYTHING! I have to go tutor. I’ll chat later.
Since we’re playing this game, if I could choose one team to play (and beat) in the Super Bowl, it would definitely be the NY Giants. For one, it would be revenge for what they did to us in Super Bowl XXI. Then of course it would be billed as the ‘Manning bowl’, and the ratings would break records, but mostly b/c I live in NY, and if we pulled that off, it would give Denver MASSIVE respect in the biggest market in the country!
Of course, it’s one step at a time. First step is getting a ticket to the tournament!
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