2025 NFL Average Kickoff Distance Leaders

The average length of a specialist's kickoffs in yards, from the kicking spot to where the ball was caught or crossed the goal line. Onside kicks are left out.

A touchback counts the full distance to the goal line, so a deep kick and a kick into the end zone score the same. In 2025, Ethan Evans (64.2) led NFL kickoff specialists in average kickoff distance, ahead of Ka'imi Fairbairn (62.8) and Bradley Pinion (62.8). 36 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 30 kickoffs). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 60.7.

NFL rule since 2025: a kickoff touchback starts the receiving team at its 35, so kickers aim for the landing zone short of the goal line and fewer touchbacks is better. Kickoff Points Added accounts for the rule, so it is the fair way to compare kickoff specialists across leagues and seasons.

Final 2025 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.

Rk	Player	Team	Avg dist	Kickoffs	TB%	Returns	Points
1	Ethan Evans	Los Angeles Rams	64.2	61	75%	15	−4.4
2	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	62.8	86	26%	64	+6.1
3	Bradley Pinion	Atlanta Falcons	62.8	40	25%	30	−4.9
4	Brandon McManus	Green Bay Packers	62.3	69	22%	53	+2.0
5	Evan McPherson	Cincinnati Bengals	62.0	86	13%	75	+0.3
6	Wil Lutz	Denver Broncos	62.0	88	24%	65	−2.2
7	Cam Little	Jacksonville Jaguars	61.6	96	39%	57	+2.7
8	Chase McLaughlin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	61.3	82	26%	61	−13.9
9	Charlie Smyth	New Orleans Saints	61.2	31	52%	15	−3.8
10	Cameron Dicker	Los Angeles Chargers	61.2	90	18%	72	−2.8
11	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	61.1	86	15%	72	+5.1
12	Jason Myers	Seattle Seahawks	61.1	103	17%	84	+25.7
13	Andre Szmyt	Cleveland Browns	61.0	65	20%	52	−5.2
14	Blake Grupe	New Orleans Saints	60.9	70	14%	60	−4.3
15	Jake Moody	Washington Commanders	60.8	42	24%	31	+5.8
16	Will Reichard	Minnesota Vikings	60.8	82	18%	66	−0.9
17	Eddy Pineiro	San Francisco 49ers	60.8	79	20%	62	−1.1
18	Jake Bates	Detroit Lions	60.7	98	17%	78	−0.1
19	Chad Ryland	Arizona Cardinals	60.7	79	25%	59	−12.2
20	Cairo Santos	Chicago Bears	60.7	79	23%	59	−1.0
21	Matt Prater	Buffalo Bills	60.6	84	13%	72	−3.5
22	Daniel Carlson	Las Vegas Raiders	60.6	60	18%	49	−8.0
23	Matt Gay	Washington Commanders	60.5	55	24%	40	+6.9
24	Andy Borregales	New England Patriots	60.5	95	26%	70	−5.7
25	Riley Patterson	Miami Dolphins	60.4	77	18%	62	−0.9
26	Joey Slye	Tennessee Titans	60.4	67	25%	46	+2.2
27	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	60.3	86	8%	78	+11.0
28	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	60.1	81	16%	68	+4.0
29	Brandon Aubrey	Dallas Cowboys	59.9	100	17%	81	−2.7
30	Joshua Karty	Los Angeles Rams	59.5	36	31%	25	+9.6
31	Austin McNamara	New York Jets	59.3	43	9%	38	−0.9
32	Zane Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons	59.2	38	32%	25	−11.4
33	Mike Badgley	Indianapolis Colts	59.0	45	2%	44	+3.1
34	Ryan Fitzgerald	Carolina Panthers	58.6	71	14%	61	+11.8
35	Jamie Gillan	New York Giants	58.5	38	13%	32	+3.8
36	Tyler Loop	Baltimore Ravens	57.1	93	11%	79	−1.0

All 2025 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

Average Kickoff Distance in other seasons: 2026 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

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