New England Patriots lock up key special teamers

Oct 16, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots kicker

Stephen Gostkowski

(3) kicks a field goal against the New York Jets during the second half at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots defeated the New York Jets 27-25. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

As training camp approaches, the New England Patriots signed some of their key special teamers to long-term deals. This will give them stability in their kicking and punting game over the next years. This is very good as Stephen Gostkowski is one of the best, if not the best, kicker in the NFL and Ryan Allen has been an above average punter. The Pats also added another key member of their future special teams group in long snapper Joe Cardona. A good kicking game has been a key part of the Patriots long run of success in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era.

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After using the franchise tag on Gostkowski, the Patriots were able to come to terms on a long-term deal. He signed a four-year deal worth $17.2 million. His deal included $10.2 million guaranteed money, which is about 59 percent of the entire contract, which basically guarantees that Gostkowski will be the Pats kicker for at least the next four years. Gostkowski was drafted in the fourth round by the Patriots in 2006. A lot of people saw that as one of Belichick’s typical draft reaches, but it really turned out well, as he has been the Pats kicker ever since and he has been very good.

Especially over the last two years Gostkowski has really been excellent, having a field goal percentage of over 90 percent. His amazing precision on distances longer that 40 yards as he has been brilliant. He was 29-of-33 on field goals that are longer than 40 yards, and 6-of-7 on field goals longer than 50 in the last two years. He has also led the NFL in field goals made over the past two years. If his strong game can continue, than this will give the Patriots an accountable kicker who can especially be counted on late game kicks.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots punter Ryan Allen (6) against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A few days ago the Pats gave their young punter Ryan Allen a three-year extension and while the exact numbers of the deal are not known yet, the deal is important for the Pats. The Patriots signed Allen, who was undrafted free agent , in 2013 and he has been their starter over the last two years. Allen has been above average in his first two years and really showed good improvement in his second year which is important for the future.

In 2014 he ranked inside the top 10 on average punt distance in the NFL and in this years Super Bowl, Allen also had the longest punt in Super Bowl history. Due to the good offense, Allen is often closer to the opposing end zone than many other punters which is why his touchback percentage is higher than a lot of other punters. When comparing his first and his second season, his touchback percentage has dropped by over six percent and the number of touchbacks he had, was also cut in half. It was smart for the Patriots to get this deal done as Allen is a good punter and they don’t want to have to deal with this issue at the end of the season.

Adding Cardona in the fifth round was a huge surprise to many as it is very early to draft a long snapper, but it filled a need for the Pats. As the Patriots didn’t seem to want to bring Danny Aiken back, they needed a long snapper, but Cardona did come with some risk. Cardona went to Navy and has naval duties fulfill, but it seems like he may be able to push those back to after his time in the NFL. He is about as good as it can get in long snapping and therefore is a good addition for the Pats. The Patriots special teams play should be very good and efficient for the next three years at least, as that is the minimum amount of years all three of these players will be on this roster if they play out their contracts.

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