2025 NFL Average Kickoff Return Allowed Leaders

Return yards divided by returns. It shows how well his kicks and coverage contain returners.

Lower is better. Only specialists with enough returns are ranked. In 2025, Joshua Karty (17.0) topped NFL kickoff specialists in average kickoff return allowed, ahead of Ethan Evans (20.9) and Jamie Gillan (21.8). 42 kickoff specialists qualify (minimum 10 returns). The median qualified kickoff specialist had 25.7.

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 ret	Kickoffs	Avg dist	TB%	Returns	Points
1	Joshua Karty	Los Angeles Rams	17.0	36	59.5	31%	25	+9.6
2	Ethan Evans	Los Angeles Rams	20.9	61	64.2	75%	15	−4.4
3	Jamie Gillan	New York Giants	21.8	38	58.5	13%	32	+3.8
4	Ryan Fitzgerald	Carolina Panthers	22.2	71	58.6	14%	61	+11.8
5	Matt Gay	Washington Commanders	22.8	55	60.5	24%	40	+6.9
6	Jason Myers	Seattle Seahawks	23.1	103	61.1	17%	84	+25.7
7	Jake Elliott	Philadelphia Eagles	23.6	81	60.1	16%	68	+4.0
8	Mike Badgley	Indianapolis Colts	23.9	45	59.0	2%	44	+3.1
9	Tyler Loop	Baltimore Ravens	23.9	93	57.1	11%	79	−1.0
10	Spencer Shrader	Indianapolis Colts	24.0	27	58.1	7%	25	−2.3
11	Younghoe Koo	New York Giants	24.2	25	60.4	12%	22	+1.5
12	Charlie Smyth	New Orleans Saints	24.3	31	61.2	52%	15	−3.8
13	Chris Boswell	Pittsburgh Steelers	24.5	86	60.3	8%	78	+11.0
14	Austin McNamara	New York Jets	24.6	43	59.3	9%	38	−0.9
15	Andy Borregales	New England Patriots	24.6	95	60.5	26%	70	−5.7
16	Joey Slye	Tennessee Titans	24.8	67	60.4	25%	46	+2.2
17	Graham Gano	New York Giants	24.9	11	60.3	0%	11	+1.5
18	Brandon Aubrey	Dallas Cowboys	25.0	100	59.9	17%	81	−2.7
19	Harrison Butker	Kansas City Chiefs	25.2	86	61.1	15%	72	+5.1
20	Jake Moody	Washington Commanders	25.5	42	60.8	24%	31	+5.8
21	Jake Bates	Detroit Lions	25.7	98	60.7	17%	78	−0.1
22	Brandon McManus	Green Bay Packers	25.8	69	62.3	22%	53	+2.0
23	Matt Prater	Buffalo Bills	25.8	84	60.6	13%	72	−3.5
24	Eddy Pineiro	San Francisco 49ers	25.9	79	60.8	20%	62	−1.1
25	Cairo Santos	Chicago Bears	25.9	79	60.7	23%	59	−1.0
26	Matthew Wright	Houston Texans	26.0	14	61.5	14%	12	+2.5
27	Lucas Havrisik	Green Bay Packers	26.0	16	62.8	31%	11	−1.9
28	Will Reichard	Minnesota Vikings	26.1	82	60.8	18%	66	−0.9
29	Ka'imi Fairbairn	Houston Texans	26.3	86	62.8	26%	64	+6.1
30	Evan McPherson	Cincinnati Bengals	26.3	86	62.0	13%	75	+0.3
31	Riley Patterson	Miami Dolphins	26.4	77	60.4	18%	62	−0.9
32	Cam Little	Jacksonville Jaguars	26.8	96	61.6	39%	57	+2.7
33	Blake Grupe	New Orleans Saints	26.8	70	60.9	14%	60	−4.3
34	Daniel Carlson	Las Vegas Raiders	26.9	60	60.6	18%	49	−8.0
35	Chad Ryland	Arizona Cardinals	27.2	79	60.7	25%	59	−12.2
36	Cameron Dicker	Los Angeles Chargers	27.3	90	61.2	18%	72	−2.8
37	Wil Lutz	Denver Broncos	27.6	88	62.0	24%	65	−2.2
38	Zane Gonzalez	Atlanta Falcons	27.6	38	59.2	32%	25	−11.4
39	Chase McLaughlin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	27.8	82	61.3	26%	61	−13.9
40	Andre Szmyt	Cleveland Browns	27.8	65	61.0	20%	52	−5.2
41	Nick Folk	New York Jets	28.4	25	62.4	24%	19	−4.3
42	Bradley Pinion	Atlanta Falcons	29.3	40	62.8	25%	30	−4.9

All 2025 NFL kickoff specialist rankings

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

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