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Jason Sanders, Dolphins Agree to 5-Year Contract Extension Worth Reported $22M
February 16, 2021
The Miami Dolphins announced Tuesday they signed kicker Jason Sanders to a five-year contract extension through the 2026 season.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the five-year deal is worth $22 million with $10 million in guaranteed money.
Sanders, who has spent his entire three-year NFL career with the Dolphins, was named a First-Team All-Pro last season after making 36 of his 39 field-goal attempts (92.3 percent) and all 36 of his extra-point attempts, resulting in an NFL-high 144 points.
The Dolphins selected Sanders in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft out of New Mexico, and he has been everything they could have hoped for and more.
The 25-year-old kicker was essentially automatic in 2020 after showing flashes of brilliance in his first two seasons as well.
As a rookie in 2018, Sanders made 18 of his 20 field goals and 35 of 36 extra points. He took a bit of a step back in 2019, going 23 for 30 in field goals and 29 for 30 on extra points, but he bounced back in a big way in 2020.
For his career, Sanders is an 86.5 percent kicker on field goals and 98.0 percent on extra points.
Sanders was a big reason for the Dolphins' success last season, as they often had to settle for field goals while rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was getting acclimated to life in the NFL.
Miami finished 15th in scoring despite Tua starting nine games, and Sanders' efficiency played a significant role in that fact.
The Dolphins ended up missing the playoffs, but they went 10-6, which was a five-game improvement from 2020.
With Miami looking to take the next step by making the playoffs and potentially pushing the Buffalo Bills for the AFC East crown, Sanders' continued efficiency in 2021 will likely be a major key to the Dolphins' success.