Report: Wil Lutz, the kicker, is interested in a multi-year contract with the Broncos.
Lutz is set to become a free agent in a few weeks after having a respectable season with the Broncos, making 30-34 of his field goal attempts (88.2%) and going 29-31 on XP attempts (93.5%). It seems reasonable that there would be some shared interest in the two parties resigning. It’s obvious that head coach Sean Payton believes in his veteran kicker, and after a strong comeback season for the Broncos the previous season, Lutz probably wants to stay if the money is right. To make this happen, the Broncos will obviously need to manoeuvre with the cap, but in the upcoming days and weeks, we should see the beginning of that.
The Denver Broncos and Sean Payton took the world by surprise last summer when they let go of veteran kicker Brandon McManus. After joining the team in 2014 and quickly winning over fans, the Super Bowl 50 winner decided to take a different route with the Broncos and Payton.
Brett Maher and Elliott Fry squared off in a training camp battle, but neither player was particularly impressive. As a result, the Broncos made a trade for Wil Lutz, a longtime Saints kicker who had previously supported Payton. McManus, meanwhile, decided to take his skills to Jacksonville, where he signed a contract to play kicker for the Jaguars.
After having a difficult season with the Saints the previous year, Lutz had a strong year with the Broncos. In contrast to his 74.2% field goal percentage from the previous season with the Saints, his 88.2% field goal percentage was the third highest of his career.
Regarding extra points, Lutz missed two of them, including a blocked XP against the Bills; the other came in the season finale against the Raiders, but he was also fairly reliable there. Of his four misses, two were from 50+ yards, one was in the 30-39 range, and the other was in the 40-49 range.
This season, a Monday night in Buffalo during primetime was his memorable moment. The field unit raced onto the field to try a kick as the clock was nearing zero and the final seconds were running out. Regretfully, Lutz failed on his first try, but he had a second opportunity when Buffalo called a 12-man on the field penalty. He kicked the game-winning field goal straight down the middle as the clock approached zero. Although the penalty prevented him from making a poor play, this game-winning kick was his season’s high point.
With that said, what are your thoughts, Broncos Country? Should the Broncos re-sign kicker Wil Lutz to a multi-year deal or look elsewhere this offseason? Teams need a dependable kicker to be successful, and the Broncos found that in Lutz. Hopefully, the two sides can come to an agreement on a multi-year deal and get their kicker position settled for the next few years.
