Stephen Gostkowski

At 40 years old, Stephen Gostkowski has this physical status:

Stephen Carroll Gostkowski (gost-KOW-skee), born January 28, 1984, is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).

In the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, he was drafted by the Patriots.

Gostkowski was the first rookie kicker to make an NFL roster this year, being one of only two kickers chosen.

With the Patriots, he has won three Super Bowls. Gostkowski, who played both college football and baseball for the University of Memphis, is the Patriots' most accurate kicker, and he was the third-most accurate kicker in NFL history as of the 2018 season.

He is also a reliable and prolific scorer: he is only the second player in NFL history to score 500 points in his first four seasons as a rookie and the first to score 1,000 points in his first eight seasons in the league, despite missing half of the 2010 season due to a leg injury.

Gostkowski is the first player since the AFL-NFL merger to lead the league in scoring in more than two seasons (2012–2015; he also led the league in scoring in 2008).

He made the Patriots' all-time leading scorer in 2014, defeating Adam Vinatieri.

He is also the Patriots' all-time leader in field goals, and he holds the NFL record for consecutive extra points (including postseason).

Early life

In 2002, Gostkowski graduated from Madison Central High School in Madison, Mississippi. He earned four varsity letters in football and soccer, as well as three in baseball, and three in baseball, and was an All-State honoree in all three sports while competing. Gostkowski's longest field goal, a 55-yard kick, is the school record for longest field goal. Parys Haralson, the former 49ers executive, and former Seahawks center Chris Spencer were among his teammates at Madison Central University. Jerious Norwood, the former Atlanta Falcons running back, had one of Gostkowski's kickoffs from two yards deep in the end zone, but Gostkowski punched him down at the 25-yard line to prevent a touchdown.

"Beaver" was his most popular nickname growing up; he lost two front teeth and had fake teeth that were too large to be replaced. When West, he was nicknamed "Gotti" by Tigers head coach Tommy West because West could not say Gostkowski correctly.

Personal life

When Gostkowski and his partner Hallie were both at the University of Memphis, they met; they married in 2008. Hallie works as a Boston nurse, and the couple lives in Wrentham, Massachusetts, with two sons and a daughter, who was born in 2016.

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College career

Gostkowski majored in fitness and sports science at the University of Memphis, where he competed for the Memphis Tigers football team and majored in exercise and sports science. Gostkowski earned a scholarship to play baseball for Memphis, but he was a walk-on for the football team. He ended his college career with 369 points, a school record, and 13th overall in NCAA Division I-A history, with 70 percent field goals and 159 of 165 extra points (PATs) during his Tiger career. Joe Allison's 70 field goals and 159 more points tied school records that had been previously held (1990–1993). He received first-team All-Conference USA awards in both his junior and senior years, as well as being named Conference USA's Best Teams Player of the Year in 2005.

Gostkowski was in charge of kickoff duties for Memphis in 2005 and had 39 touchbacks on 68 kickoffs. Gostkowski did so using a one-inch tee (the height of NFL tees) rather than the two-inch tees allowed by the NCAA at the time. According, NFL talent scouts could more accurately assess his potential.

Gostkowski made the remarkable feat of recovering his own onside kick in a 2005 match against Houston.

Professional career

In the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Gostkowski was drafted by the New England Patriots, resulting in the 118th overall pick. He was the first of two placekickers to be selected this year. Martn Gramática, a veteran kicker for the Patriots, competed as a free agent after Adam Vinatieri signed with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2006 training camp. The Patriots cut Gramática in August 23, 2006, leaving rookie Gostkowski with the job.

Gostkowski was bang on field goals and extra points during the 2006 preseason, going 9-for-9 and 11-for-11, respectively, for a total of 38 points. In the last preseason game against the New York Giants, he made his longest field goal, a 54-yard field goal. Gostkowski made his longest regular-season kick of his youth career, with a 52-yard kick against the Chicago Bears on November 26, 2006, which also became the longest kick ever made at Gillette Stadium. Gostkowski finished the 2006 season as the top-scoring rookie (with 103 points (20 field goals and 43 extra points), edging out the 96 points scored by Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

Though Gostkowski had a rough start to his rookie season — he had two straight kicks blocked — his kickoffs were considerably longer than those in Vinatieri's last season in Foxborough. He averaged 65.5 yards per kickoff with a return average of 23 yards and a total of 12 touchbacks during the 2006 season. (By comparison: Vinatieri's average kickoff was 61.6 yards in 2005, although he was playing in a dome in 2006, he averaged 65.8 yards.) Gostkowski's 20 of 26 kicks (76.9%), while opposing kickers made only 22 of 30 (73.3%). Gostkowski's rookie season was about the same as Vinatieri's: Vinatieri converted 27 of 35 kicks (77.3%), but missed three extra points (39/42). For the first time in his NFL career, he missed an extra point target in Week 17.

During the season, Gostkowski had to contend with three different owners. After his first holder, punter Josh Miller, was put on injured reserve after Week 11, the Patriots signed Ken Walter, who played for Weeks 12 to 15, before being placed on injured reserve. Although the Patriots signed Todd Sauerbrun to punt, holding responsibilities were given to Matt Cassel, the Patriots' backup quarterback (which resulted in one regular-season kick that had two bizarre twists in mid-air).

Gostkowski converted three field goal attempts (from 20, 40, and 28 yards) and four extra points in the Wild Card Round of the 2006 postseason against the New York Jets. For a touchback, he had one kickoff pass through the back of the end zone (over 80 yards).

Gostkowski made three of three field goals against the San Diego Chargers, including a 50-yard kick that was the longest offensive play in the Patriots postseason. In the fourth, he made a 34-yarder in the third quarter and a 31-yard kick with 1:10 left, making him his third NFL rookie to attempt a game-winning playoff kick in the fourth quarter or overtime. (One of the others was Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding, who failed his attempt in the 2004 playoffs, but Kaeding missed a potential game-tying 54-yarder in the closing seconds.) Following a touchdown by Jabar Gaffney in the second quarter, Gostkowski converted his only extra point attempt of the game.

Gostkowski converted all of his kicks (two field goals and four extra points) against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship, and he had two touchbacks on kickoffs against the Indianapolis Colts.

Gostkowski, a young rookie, was put under intense scrutiny in the playoffs, given Vinatieri's playoff heroics. Gostkowski made all eight of his field goal kicks; he also had three touchbacks, two in the Patriots' loss to the Colts on January 21, 2007.

Despite Gostkowski's 30th position in field goal attempts in the first 12 weeks of the NFL season (16 attempts, 14 converted), he managed to equalize his entire 2006 scoring output in those 12 weeks, with three of which he converted. With his 67th fruitful start against the New York Jets, Gostkowski tied for most extra points converted in a season. Gostkowski defeated the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, breaking von Schamann's record of 70 extra point attempts. Gostkowski ended the season with a 74-for-74 on extra points, surpassing Jeff Wilkins' 1999 record of 64-for-64 with the St. Louis Rams. (These PAT records were surpassed by Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater in 2013.) Gostkowski went 21 for 24 on field goals to finish with 137 points on the season, the third-highest total for any player this year (famous Green Bay kicker Mason Crosby had 141, and Patriots receiver Randy Moss had 138).

In the Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens, Gostkowski had the pleasure of kicking off from the Ravens' 35-yard line as the result of two unsportsmanlike conduct fouls on Ravens linebacker Bart Scott and an offside call on the Ravens' PAT call. On the kickoff, Gostkowski had a touchback, but there was doubt afterwards as to whether or not the Patriots may have improved their field position by kicking the ball out-of-bounds instead.

In the Divisional Round against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Gostkowski converted one but skipped the other, his only failed postseason conversion. On his extra point attempts, he was 9-for-9. In the AFC Championship victory over the San Diego Chargers, he converted all three extra point attempts. He converted both extra point attempts in Super Bowl XLII against the New York Giants, defeating the 17-14 loss.

In Week 19, Matt Cassel's debut as a starter after a season-ending injury to Tom Brady, he was a key contributor to the Patriots' 19–10 victory over the New York Jets. On the first five of his six kickoffs, Gostkowski converted four field goals from 21, 37, 28, and 27, with touchdown touchbacks on the first five of his six kickoffs (the last kick was returned to the 20 before a Raymond Ventrone tackle).

For the first time in his career, Gostkowski, who went 9-for-10 on field goals and 11-for-11 on extra points for a team-high 38 points, was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in October.

Gostkowski had the highest-scoring game of his NFL career in Week 16, converting four field goal attempts and five extra point attempts against the Arizona Cardinals. The 17-point average gave him a total of 34 field goals on the season, beating Tony Franklin's 1986 franchise record of 32, and 141 points scored, tying Vinatieri's post-merger franchise record. (Guno Cappelletti, a former wide receiver/kicker for the Patriots, scored 155 points in 1964 and 147 points in 1961, but receptions received 44 and 56 points.) Gostkowski finished the season with a 148 points, the 13th-highest single-season total in NFL history; his 36 field goals converted is the sixth-highest figure since Neil Rackers earned 40 in 2005.

Gostkowski was selected for his first Pro Bowl appearance as the AFC kicker in December 2008, despite the fact that he did not finish in the top five in fan voting. For the first time, the Associated Press selected him to the All-Pro First Team; he received 28 of the 50 votes for kicker.

Gostkowski made his first fumble recovery in the Patriots' last-minute 25–24 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Gostkowski recovered the ball at the Bills' 31-yard line when Leodis McKelvin fumbled the ball on a kickoff return with the Patriots trailing 24-19. In his postgame press conference, Tom Brady used "meat" to refer to Bull Durham, which was introduced by former Patriots punter Josh Miller during Gostkowski's rookie season.

In the Patriots' Week 9 game against the Miami Dolphins, Gostkowski earned his first AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award, including one on a re-kick from the Patriots' 25-yard line after an offside call.

Gostkowski finished the season on field goals, going 26-for-31 (83.9%). He was a perfect 47-for-47 on extra points and had a then-career high 67.8 yards on kickoffs.

Gostkowski's deal came to an end after the 2009 season, which would have made him an unrestricted free agent. However, Gostkowski became a restricted free agent under the 2010 season as a result of the NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining deal's expiration. On April 17, Gostkowski signed the contract. On August 26, 2010, the Patriots signed Gostkowski to a four-year contract, adding four years to his one-year tender deal; the deal brought him $14 million from 2011 to 2014 with $5 million guaranteed.

Gostkowski made his first four field goal attempts in a single game in his first three games. However, Gostkowski scored five touchbacks in a single game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4, and two weeks later, Gostkowski kicked his first overtime game-winning field goal in the Patriots' 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.

After suffering a thigh injury in Week 9, Gostkowski was unable to continue the Patriots' game against the Cleveland Browns; wide receiver Wes Welker was drafted. Gostkowski was put on injured reserve with a torn quadriceps muscle, ending his season three days later, on November 10. Shayne Graham, a veteran kicker, was recalled by the Patriots to be recalled.

Gostkowski finished his career with a career low of 69%, tying his career low from 2006), ties for his career low of 76.9 yards, leading to a career low of 78.9 yards. On his extra point attempts, he was 26-for-26.

For the first time since his rookie season, Gostkowski was not the only kicker in training camp; the Patriots brought in former University of Massachusetts kicker Chris Koepplin to help with Gostkowski's workload; the Patriots cut him before the season began.

In Week 16, Gostkowski made a tackle of Clyde Gates against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16 to make the score 17–3 in favour of Miami, the Patriots' comeback victory. Gostkowski punched Gates at the Miami 38 rather than allowing a touchdown. On the ensuing possession, Miami lost the ball and the Patriots took a touchdown of their own, bringing the deficit down to 17–24.

Gostkowski finished the season with 143 points, five short of his career high in 2007; he made 28 of 33 field goals and all 59 of his extra-point attempts. In 2011, Gostkowski was one of two kickers to score five or more points in every game (the other was David Akers), and the third player in NFL history to pull off the feat (Gary Anderson did it in 1998).

In Super Bowl XLVI, Gostkowski and the Patriots appeared in Super Bowl XLVI at the end of the 2011 season. He added two points and a field goal, but the Patriots lost 21–17 to the New York Giants.

All 66 extra point attempts and 29-of-35 field goal attempts were converted by Gostkowski in the 2012 season. He tied his career high in Week 11, when he defeated the Indianapolis Colts 59-24, with eight more points converted to go along with a 31-yard field goal. He won the scoring title for the 2012 season with 153 points total.

Gostkowski had a superb 3–3 record in the Buffalo Bills' season opener, including the 35-yard game winning bid. Gostkowski made both his field goal attempts against Peyton Manning and the high-scoring Denver Broncos, as well as the game-winning 31-yard field goal with 1:56 seconds remaining in overtime. With 38 field goals made out of 41 attempts, Gostkowski set a franchise record for the New England Patriots for the most field goals in a season. After regular punter Ryan Allen was injured during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts on January 11, 2014, Gostkowski assumed the Patriots' punt role during the AFC Divisional Round, averaging 41.8 yards per punt. He was named to his second Pro Bowl on January 20, 2014, in place of Denver Broncos kicker Matt Prater, who was playing in Super Bowl XLVIII.

In a 16–9 victory over the Oakland Raiders, Gostkowski scored three field goals; surprisingly, all of the points in that game were scored by players whose names ended in "-kowski": all of Oakland's points were scored, except for one: Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. Gostkowski set a new personal record in the Patriots' Week 15 41–13 loss to the Miami Dolphins, defeating them in 2005.

Gostkowski finished the season with a record-breaking 35 field goals out of 37 attempts (94.6%, a career high). He was named as a Second-Team All-Pro for his third Pro Bowl pick (behind Vinatieri). When the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28–24, Gostkowski claimed his first Super Bowl ring. He did not kick any field goals, but he did make four extra points.

Gostkowski earned his 423rd extra point in a Week 3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, beating Matt Stover's record of 422. He converted all 14 extra point attempts and all seven field goal attempts in the first three weeks, and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for the third time in his career. Gostkowski tied Vinatieri's franchise record for kicks ending the first half in the Patriots' Week 5 match against the Dallas Cowboys. Gostkowski was 12-for-12 on field goals and 21-for-21 on extra points through the first five games of the season. In a 30–23 victory over the New York Jets on Wednesday, he scored three more field goals on three attempts, the first week of his season. He was four-for-four on extra points and two-for-two on field goals against the Miami Dolphins in a 36–7 victory on October 29, including a 52-yarder. On November 15, with just one second remaining, the Patriots defeated the New York Giants 27-26, with the Patriots remaining undefeated at 9–0 on the season. In addition, he surpassed Adam Vinatieri as the Patriots' all-time leader in field goals. Gostkowski improved to 21-of-21 field goals scored and 34-of-34 extra points earned for the season after his success against the Giants. Gostkowski missed a 54-yard field goal attempt in Week 11, his first miss at home since November 30, 2014, and his first miss at home since Week 2 of the 2013 season. He finished the season with 151 points, his fourth straight season in which he has more than 300 points; no other player in football history has more than once.

Gostkowski was named one of two starting kicks for the 2015 Pro Bowl (along with Dallas Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey); it was Gostkowski's third consecutive nomination and fourth overall. Gostkowski was also named the kicker on the 2015 AP All-Pro first team, receiving 47 of 50 votes; Bailey received the remaining three votes.

Gostkowski missed his first extra point since 2006 and only the second of his career in the AFC Championship Game against the Denver Broncos, snaping a streak of 523 consecutive attempts. Gostkowski criticized himself after the Patriots lost 20-18 after a failed two-point conversion near the end of the game. However, Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his colleagues, Logan Ryan, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, and Malcolm Butler protected Gostkowski, who also scored two field goals during the game. It was also his first miss in 56 attempts since the NFL shifted the line for extra points from the 2-yard line back to the 15-yard line.

Gostkowski ended the regular season with his extra point streak intact at 463 points, since The NFL Record & Fact Book does not include statistics from playoff games when calculating regular-season streaks.

The NFL modified the rule on kickoffs so touchbacks would give the offense an extra five yards rather than the 20-yard line during the 2016 offseason. The Patriots capitalized on Gostkowski's ability to provide "mortar kicks" that long hang time but land inside the field of play, prompting the opposing team to attempt to recover the kick. The Patriots beat the Arizona Cardinals on Week 1, resulting in a missed field goal on the Cardinals' final drive. Although the Patriots forced two fumbles on such kickoffs against the Houston Texans in Week 3, the Patriots converted two fumbles against the Houston Texans in Week 3. In Week 13, he was named Special Teams Player of the Week for making all four field goal attempts, three over 45 yards, and two extra points.

Gostkowski was unable to play an extra point against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 to snap his undefeated regular-season record at 479. Gostkowski led the league in scoring with 127 points (27 of 32 field goals and 46 of 49 extra points), his first appearance since 2011; it was the first time since 2011 that Gostkowski did not lead the NFL in scoring.

During the 2017 playoffs, Gostkowski appeared in a Pepsi commercial, joining wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown in the ranks of wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown.

Gostkowski became the first placekicker for the winning team without missing a single point. Gostkowski missed the extra point on the Patriots' first touchdown, but the Patriots nonetheless converted on their second and third touchdowns, and the Patriots' final, game-winning touchdown was needed. Gostkowski made a 41-yard try in the second quarter and a 33-yard attempt in the fourth quarter in a 34–28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons.

In Week 4 of a 33-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Gostkowski set a new franchise record by making a 58-yard field goal, beating the 57-yard record he shared with Adam Vinatieri. At Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, he set a new record in the Patriots' Week 11 game against the Oakland Raiders, kicking a 62-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. That kick was tied for the sixth-longest field goal in NFL history. Gostkowski kicked four field goals in the game, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Gostkowski was 47-of-47 on extra point attempts and 37-of-39 on field goal attempts during the 2017 regular season. His 156 points were the second highest total score of any player in the NFL, behind only Greg Zuerlein of the Los Angeles Rams. It was the fifth time Gostkowski had passed over the 150-point mark in his career.

Gostkowski tied for the most footballer with former Patriot Adam Vinatieri to appear in five Super Bowls as a kicker in Super Bowl LII. After losing 41-33 to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Patriots were unable to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. Gostkowski scored two field goals and three extra points in the Super Bowl, but he also missed a field goal and an extra point in the second quarter.

Gostkowski finished fifth in the league among kickers with 130 points scored. At six, he set a record for the most Super Bowl appearances by a kicker, breaking his tie with former Patriot Adam Vinatieri.

During the Patriots' victory over the Rams, Gostkowski missed a field goal and made two more in Super Bowl LIII against the Los Angeles Rams. He kicked a 41-yard field goal with less than two minutes remaining in the game to put the Patriots up 13–3, effectively ending the Patriots' Super Bowl victory.

Gostkowski re-signed with the Patriots on a two-year, $8.5 million contract on April 9, 2019.

Gostkowski was put on injured reserve for the second time in his 14-year career on October 2, 2019. Mike Nugent was recruited as his replacement but was later released. Nick Folk was brought on to do the kicking duties, but Kai Forbath was later released and replaced. Folks were eventually re-signed by the Patriots as their main quarterback.

After 14 seasons with the Patriots, Gostkowski was released by the Patriots on March 23, 2020.

The Tennessee Titans signed Gostkowski on a one-year contract on September 3, 2020. Gostkowski played linebacker for the Patriots from 2006 to 2008. Gostkowski struggled against the Denver Broncos in the season opener, missing three field goals and an extra point. With 17 seconds remaining in the game, however, Gostkowski kicked a game-winning field goal, sending the Titans up 16–14. Gostkowski made three of four extra point attempts and two field goal attempts against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, including a 49-yard game-winner late in the fourth quarter. Gostkowski was instrumental in the Titans' victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Week 3: he had all six of his field goals, including another game-winner late in the fourth quarter, this time from 55 yards out. For his efforts in Week 3, he was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Gostkowski was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for his September debut on October 1, 2020. In Weeks 6-8, Gostkowski made only one of five attempted field goals, notably missing a 45 yard game-tying field goal with 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, despite not attempting a field goal for the first time in week five of the regular season, losing by 19 seconds with 19 seconds remaining. The game would have almost certainly been called into overtime if Gostkowski made the kick. In Weeks 9-16, Gostkowski would, on the other hand, only miss one of his nine attempted field goals. He did not participate in the Week 17 game against the Houston Texans due to being on the reserve/COVID-19 list and was recalled by rookie Sam Sloman. The Titans won the AFC South with an 11-5 record, with Gostkowski leading the season with 18 out of 26 field goals and scoring 44 out of 46 extra points, the only other point missing extra points being from the first two games of the season. Gostkowski was later recalled from the reserve/COVID-19 list and recalled for the Titans in the playoffs, scoring his two attempted field goals and one extra point as the Titans lost 20–13 to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round.

Following the 2020 season, Gostkowski was not re-signed by the Titans, making him a free agent going into the 2021 season.

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