2021 NFL Onside Kicks Recovered Leaders
Onside kicks the kicking team recovered. Recoveries are rare, so the numbers are small.
Only specialists with at least one recovery appear. In 2021, Austin Seibert (2) led NFL kickoff specialists in onside kicks recovered, ahead of Brandon McManus (1) and Cairo Santos (1). 7 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 | Recovered | Kickoffs | Avg dist | TB% | Returns | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin Seibert | Detroit Lions | 2 | 20 | 63.1 | 25% | 15 | +4.5 |
| 2 | Brandon McManus | Denver Broncos | 1 | 76 | 65.1 | 82% | 14 | −17.3 |
| 3 | Cairo Santos | Chicago Bears | 1 | 69 | 64.0 | 49% | 35 | +3.0 |
| 4 | Ka'imi Fairbairn | Houston Texans | 1 | 42 | 61.8 | 38% | 25 | +2.4 |
| 5 | Justin Tucker | Baltimore Ravens | 1 | 87 | 61.8 | 54% | 39 | +0.3 |
| 6 | Riley Dixon | New York Giants | 1 | 1 | 51.0 | 0% | 1 | −0.2 |
| 7 | Matt Prater | Arizona Cardinals | 1 | 91 | 64.9 | 80% | 18 | +0.3 |
All 2021 NFL kickoff specialist rankings
Onside Kicks Recovered 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
- Kickoffs Out of Bounds
- Onside Kicks Attempted
- 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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