2021 NFL Kickoffs Out of Bounds Leaders
A kickoff out of bounds is a penalty and gives the receiving team the ball at the spot or at its 40, so it is a mistake.
Only specialists with at least one appear; fewer is better. In 2021, Matt Gay (3) led NFL kickoff specialists in kickoffs out of bounds, ahead of Jake Bailey (3) and Tyler Bass (2). 17 kickoff specialists qualify.
NFL rule from 2016 to 2023: a kickoff touchback started the receiving team at its 25 (from 2023 a fair catch inside the 25 did too), so a deep kick into the end zone was the safe, standard result. Kickoff Points Added accounts for the rule, so it is the fair way to compare kickoff specialists across leagues and seasons.
Final 2021 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.
| Rk | Player | Team | OOB | Kickoffs | Avg dist | TB% | Returns | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Gay | Los Angeles Rams | 3 | 99 | 62.3 | 66% | 31 | +0.4 |
| 2 | Jake Bailey | New England Patriots | 3 | 93 | 62.6 | 44% | 49 | +6.1 |
| 3 | Tyler Bass | Buffalo Bills | 2 | 98 | 62.5 | 57% | 40 | +12.1 |
| 4 | Greg Zuerlein | Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 99 | 64.4 | 81% | 18 | −7.2 |
| 5 | Mason Crosby | Green Bay Packers | 1 | 94 | 63.8 | 46% | 50 | −4.4 |
| 6 | Evan McPherson | Cincinnati Bengals | 1 | 91 | 63.5 | 60% | 35 | +0.5 |
| 7 | Bradley Pinion | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 89 | 64.2 | 80% | 17 | −8.3 |
| 8 | Daniel Carlson | Las Vegas Raiders | 1 | 87 | 63.5 | 61% | 33 | −3.2 |
| 9 | Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens | 1 | 87 | 61.8 | 54% | 39 | +0.3 |
| 10 | Chris Boswell | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 | 86 | 63.1 | 47% | 45 | −2.5 |
| 11 | Jason Myers | Seattle Seahawks | 1 | 81 | 62.2 | 38% | 49 | +13.0 |
| 12 | Jason Sanders | Miami Dolphins | 1 | 77 | 63.7 | 73% | 20 | +2.6 |
| 13 | Graham Gano | New York Giants | 1 | 64 | 61.5 | 42% | 36 | +5.9 |
| 14 | Younghoe Koo | Atlanta Falcons | 1 | 55 | 62.9 | 53% | 25 | +4.6 |
| 15 | Ka'imi Fairbairn | Houston Texans | 1 | 42 | 61.8 | 38% | 25 | +2.4 |
| 16 | Logan Cooke | Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 | 21 | 62.0 | 48% | 10 | −6.2 |
| 17 | Pressley Harvin | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1 | 2 | 40.0 | 0% | 1 | −0.7 |
All 2021 NFL kickoff specialist rankings
Kickoffs Out of Bounds in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
More 2021 NFL kickoff specialist leaderboards
- Kickoffs
- Kickoff Touchbacks
- Kickoff Touchback Percentage
- Kickoff Returns Allowed
- Kickoff Return Yards Allowed
- Average Kickoff Return Allowed
- Onside Kicks Attempted
- Onside Kicks Recovered
- Kickoff Points Added
- Average Kickoff Distance
- Kickoff Out of Bounds Percentage
- 30+ Yard Return Percentage Allowed
- Kickoff Points per 100 Kickoffs
Other 2021 NFL rankings
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