The longest field goal in every NFL team's history

Since signing Prater in 2021, the Cardinals have seen target-line graphics move closer to midfield. They have permitted Prater to try 60-plus-yarders, and he has twice delivered 62-yard makes. Both came at the end right before halftime in games at State Farm Stadium. The first came during a September 2021 game against the Vikings, when Prater’s make set a Cardinals record during a 34-33 Arizona win — one the kicker later sealed with a 27-yard walk-off. He then hit from 62 during a September 2023 win over the Cowboys. The latter effort helped a 28-16 win for a rebuilding Cards squad, which started 1-8 that season.

Playing 27 NFL seasons, Andersen soared to the Hall of Fame. In the process, he became the rare kicker whose second-longest make (59 yards) set a franchise record. Andersen made a 60-yarder as a Saint in 1991, and the southpaw specialist hit from 59 in his first Falcons season four years later. Andersen made the 59-yarder during a Week 17 win over the 49ers, a win that — due to the terms of the 1994 Jeff George trade — gave the Colts Marvin Harrison access. Twenty-one years later, Bryant stepped in to tie the mark. A 59-yarder was a more common occurrence by 2016, but Bryant made the kick — at age 41. For kickers over 40, this remains the standard.

Regarded by many as the greatest ever, Tucker currently holds the NFL record for longest field goal. The long-range assassin hit from 66 yards in Detroit during a Week 3 Ravens win. Baltimore benefited from officials not calling a delay-of-game penalty on the visitors’ game-winning drive, but the team still only advanced to the Lions’ 48-yard line. That proved just enough for Tucker, whose record-setting effort caromed off the crossbar and through to stymie a then-downtrodden Lions squad (19-17) in Dan Campbell’s first month at the helm. 

Josh Allen’s fourth-down scamper to close out the Chiefs may be the highlight of the Bills’ 2024 win streak, but Bass’ contribution was the most difficult. Under fire due to a 44-yard miss against Kansas City in the playoffs, Bass struggled early this season as well. The Bills stuck with their young kicker, and he rewarded them with a 61-yard walk-off against the Dolphins. A unnecessary roughness penalty on ex-Bill Jordan Poyer moved the home team to the Bills’ 46-yardline, and two short completions gave Bass a game-winning opportunity. He did not squander it, giving the perennial AFC East champs a fourth straight win.

Gano later became a Giant, but in his final season as the Panthers’ kicker, the veteran dealt the NFC’s New York team a tough blow. Gano hammered in a 63-yard field goal to lift the Panthers to a walk-off home win in Week 5. Gano had made a 58-yarder against the Saints months earlier to set the NFL’s playoff record. The Giants had seen Odell Beckham Jr. throw a TD pass to Saquon Barkley, whose second touchdown of the game gave the visitors a 31-30 lead with 1:08 left. Gano changed the ending but would miss all of 2019 and end up Barkley’s teammate with the Giants in 2020.

Soldier Field does not present a great kicking environment, helping to explain why the Bears’ career-long make (58 yards) is the second-shortest of any team. This kick did occur at Solider Field, but it took place in warmer weather. Gould delivered on the attempt to close out the first half of Chicago’s Week 1 win over Cincinnati. The then-ninth-year kicker provided the difference in a 24-21 Bears win. Illustrating the difficulties Chicago presents for kickers, Gould did not hit a kick longer than 55 yards at any other point during his 11-year Bears career. 

Have we mentioned kickers are better than ever? Like many instances on this list, a team’s current kicker holds the distance record. The Bengals found a gem in McPherson, recently extending him. The 2021 draftee drilled a 59-yarder in the first quarter of a Week 1 game against the Steelers. McPherson broke his own team record, which stood at 56 yards, with the strike. The make helped get a game in which Joe Burrow threw four interceptions to overtime, but Cincinnati still lost (23-20) to Pittsburgh. 

Like Dan Marino’s 1984 season, Cox deserves tremendous credit for his make hobnobbing with a host of 2020s kickers. Compounded with the fact Cox was not a kicker — rather a punter — and this is one of the more unexpected sequences in special teams history. The Browns employed veteran Matt Bahr as their kicker in 1984 but gave Cox a shot due to his stronger leg. Cleveland’s punter smashed home a 60-yarder — then the second-longest in NFL history — during an October game at the Bengals’ Riverfront Stadium. Cox only went 6 of 15 for his career, but two of the other makes came from 57 and 58 yards. 

A rapidly ascending specialist, Aubrey looks like the top threat to break Tucker’s record. Two weeks after the Cowboys kicker hit a 66-yarder outdoors in Cleveland — before seeing a penalty nullify it — Aubrey struck from 65 during a Week 3 loss to the Ravens. Mike McCarthy let the former Major League Soccer draftee and USFL kicker attempt the 65-yarder midway through the first quarter at Cowboys Stadium, showing tremendous confidence — as many 60-plus-yard efforts are half- or game-ending plays due to the field-position punishment in the event of a miss. The top candidate for the NFL’s first 70-yarder resides in Dallas.

For more than 40 years, kickers targeted Tom Dempsey’s legendary mark of 63 yards. Tucker, however, broke Prater’s record. Broncos kickers enjoy the advantage of playing at altitude, with multiple kicks on this list coming in Denver. That does not include Jason Elam’s then-record-tying make from 1998. Prater topped Elam’s mark during a December 2013 matchup against the Titans, making a 64-yarder. Although Prater made the kick in Denver’s thin air, he faced a higher degree of difficulty due to the game temperature sitting at 14 degrees at the time of the kick. After Prater’s first-half-ending make, the eventual AFC champs won 51-28.

NBC devoted appropriate attention to Bates’ past as a Houston-area brick salesman during the Lions’ Week 10 clash with the Texans. Detroit’s UFL find ended up bailing out Jared Goff, as the NFC North leaders’ quarterback threw five INTs in a wacky Sunday-nighter. Bates came through to ensure the Lions’ win streak continued, nailing 52- and 58-yard field goals to close out his team’s road win. The 58-yarder tied the game at 23 in the fourth quarter, and while both kicks crept just inside the posts, Bates’ precision moved the Lions to 8-1. 

The Packers went 15-1 in 2011; Crosby played a central role in the defending Super Bowl champions getting there. His longest make came in Week 7, when a 58-yarder late in the third quarter boosted the visitors in a game at the Metrodome. Restored after its roof collapsed in December 2010, the Vikings’ initial domed stadium helped provide friendly confines for kickers for years. Crosby benefited for a while, and the longtime Green Bay kicker made four field goals to help a 33-27 Packers win. The Pack did not lose until December that season.

As Deshaun Watson’s scandals overshadowed everything Texans in 2021, the team the rebuilding club fielded did not receive much attention. But the franchise’s all-time longest field goal happened during this stretch. Fairbairn nailed a 61-yarder to close the first half against the Seahawks in a Week 14 game. Houston’s kicker since 2017, Fairbairn also has a 59-yarder on his resume. The Texans, however, did not field a talented team in 2021 and lost 33-13 to the visiting Seahawks. 

A Yardbarker quiz presenting this information would probably yield the fewest answers in this section. Miller played just one NFL season, the 1982 slate shortened by a players’ strike, and played for multiple teams. A Washington 11th-round draftee who then surfaced in New England, Miller finished the season in Baltimore. Forty-two years later, Miller’s 58-yard make against the Chargers in San Diego remains the franchise’s mark. The kick came in the third quarter of the penultimate game — a 44-26 loss to the Bolts — of an 0-8-1 Colts season. A 1983 Colts trade for Raul Allegre led to a Miller release; he soon signed with the original USFL’s Jacksonville Bulls. 

For a short stretch, the NFL housed a Josh Scobee and a Josh Scobey. While the latter (a running back) ended up an NFL executive, the kicker enjoyed a longer playing career. Eleven of Scobee’s 12 seasons came in Jacksonville. In Year 7, he made the franchise’s longest field goal. Scobee connected from 59 yards; unlike many kicks on this list, this was a game-winner. Scobee’s make downed the Colts in a 31-28 Week 4 game in Jacksonville. The 2010 Jags went 8-8 but were mired in what became a decade-long playoff drought. 

An ankle injury took Butker off the field in September 2022, leading to an interesting development for the Chiefs’ special teams. Fill-in Matthew Wright set the franchise record by making a 59-yard field goal in Week 5. That make came in Wright’s only Chiefs outing, as Butker was ready to return in Week 6. In his first game back, the longtime Kansas City kicker made a 62-yarder. Like Wright’s, Butker’s make closed a first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Unlike Wright’s, Butker’s kick came in a loss — to the Bills. Still, Butker has established himself as one of the NFL’s best.

Entering the NFL as a first-round pick in 2000, Janikowski brought one of the strongest legs in league history. This skillset famously involved Lane Kiffin allowing him to attempt a 76-yard field goal in 2008. As that offering had no chance, the “Polish Rifle” had better luck to open the 2011 season. He tied Tom Dempsey and Jason Elam’s then-record by drilling a 63-yarder against the Broncos. This kick did feature the Denver bump, and it helped the Raiders pull off a win over the eventual AFC West champions. Janikowski spent 17 seasons with the Raiders, finishing his career with the most games in team history.

The Chargers have not seen much kicker continuity post-Kaeding. While Kaeding did not enjoy the longevity expected of a two-time Pro Bowl kicker, he played eight seasons — all in San Diego. The former third-round Bolts pick delivered his longest make during the 2008 season. Kaeding “only” hit from 57 yards — tied for the shortest mark among any franchise’s field goal record — but this came as the Bolts completed one of the greatest late-season sprints in NFL history. Trailing the Broncos by three games in the AFC West with three to go, the Bolts rallied to steal the division. Kaeding’s kick in Tampa helped the team to this finish.

Although Zuerlein came to the NFL from the Division II level, the Rams showed tremendous interest in a player who went 9-for-9 on 50-plus-yarders during his senior season at Missouri Western. The record-setting college kicker showed his prowess early, making a 60-yarder as a rookie. As his nickname vacillated between “Legatron” and “Greg the Leg,” Zuerlein established a new career long by making a 61-yarder against the Vikings. This kick occurred in Minnesota while the Vikings were playing outdoors as U.S. Bank Stadium was being built, adding to the then-St. Louis kicker’s degree of difficulty. 

A career spent entirely in the AFC East began with Carpenter going undrafted out of Montana. The Division I-FCS product trekked to a more glamorous location to start his NFL run, being a Dolphins signee. In his third Miami season, Carpenter downed a 60-yard field goal. Yes, this kick — like so many here — came to close out a first half. Carpenter’s successful try came against the Browns in Miami, though Cleveland ended up prevailing in a 13-10 matchup. The other kicker in this game, Phil Dawson, made a 23-yard game-winner  

Joseph’s 2022 season started a bit rocky, but he became instrumental in a 13-4 Vikings campaign dependent on one-score wins. Keeping the Vikings well in front in the NFC North, Joseph hit a 61-yard game-winner to stop a surprising Giants squad in a 27-24 Christmas Eve matchup in Minnesota. As a cold front enveloped much of the country, Joseph was free of weather-driven impediments and kept the Vikings in form. Minnesota finished with a minus-3 point differential — the worst by a 13-win team in NFL history — and needed Joseph, but the kicker could not help in a one-score wild-card loss to the Giants three weeks later.

Breaking a Stephen Gostkowski record set at 7,200 feat above sea level (Azteca Stadium), Slye continued to prove he is among the NFL’s strongest-legged kickers. Coming to New England after spending the past three seasons in Washington, Slye nailed a 63-yard field goal during a Patriots loss to the 49ers in San Francisco. Slye’s kick came to close the first half in that Week 4 encounter. A struggling Patriots team did not match up too well with the defending NFC champs that day, but Slye later hit a 54-yard try in his team’s 30-13 loss.

Dempsey’s kick was revolutionary enough it bettered the previous NFL record (by the Colts’ Bert Rechichar) by seven yards. Dempsey famously connected from 63, and his kick powered the Saints to a stunning walk-off win over the Lions during New Orleans’ time playing outdoors. Dempsey’s is a visually astonishing make, as it came from his own 37-yard line (goalposts at this point were on the goal line rather than the endline). The Lions also took a 17-16 lead with 11 seconds left. A Saints pass completion gave Dempsey a shot, and the New Orleans striker missing half his right foot connected. This record stood 43 years.

Gano reappears here thanks to a contribution in his third Giants season. Giving the Giants a long-term option Rosas could not, Gano tied the franchise record with a 57-yard make against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving 2022. This has been a rather one-sided rivalry recently, so Gano’s effort came in a loss. Rosas first introduced Giants fans to the upper 50s when he connected during a Pro Bowl 2018 season. This was a more impressive kick, as it came in December at a rainy MetLife Stadium. The Giants narrowly lost to the Bears that day, but Rosas parlayed that kick into a Pro Bowl nod. 

Zuerlein reappears as well, keeping his elite leg strength into his mid-30s. The former Rams sixth-round pick landed with the Jets after a 2022 Cowboys release, bouncing back to earn multiple contracts with the AFC East franchise. Zuerlein’s longest Jets make came during a Minnesota trip; the then-11th-year veteran booted a 60-yarder — the third 60-plus-yard make of his career. Sorcerers in one-score games in 2022, the Vikings topped the Jets 27-22 in this matchup. Zuerlein eventually secured a second Jets deal — two years, $8 million — in 2024.

Like Harrison Butker, Elliott began his 2017 rookie season as a draft choice on a practice squad. The Eagles poached the fifth-rounder off the Bengals’ taxi squad early that season, a rather important one for the NFC East franchise. Months before the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII triumph, Elliott set them on course for the No. 1 seed by burying a 61-yard game-winner to down the Giants in Philadelphia. Elliott, who has since signed two Eagles extensions, matched that six years later by sending a Bills shootout into overtime. Although the Eagles collapsed soon after, Elliott’s make in the rain moved Nick Sirianni’s team to 10-1. 

Establishing himself as a long-term Pittsburgh kicker, Boswell has made many memorable kicks despite playing in a suboptimal environment. Boswell made a 59-yarder during a Week 4 game against the Jets in Pittsburgh. Boswell also made a 51-yarder in this early-season matchup, with the 59-yarder coming soon after to end the first half. But the Steelers could not topple the Jets in a Kenny Pickett-Zach Wilson QB matchup. 

Jim Harbaugh gave Akers the green light to close the first half during the 49ers’ 2012 opener. This meant a 63-yard attempt, which Akers made after the try caromed off the crossbar and through. In terms of outdoor kicks outside of Denver, this matches Tom Dempsey’s legendary make as the longest in NFL history. At the time, Akers’ make tied Dempsey for the all-time record. This also came to open Akers’ penultimate season, with the ex-Eagles specialist at 38. As of 2024, Akers is the oldest player to make a 60-plus-yard field goal outdoors. The 49ers toppled the Packers at Lambeau Field, journeying to Super Bowl XLVII that season.

The Jets surprisingly did not re-sign Myers after his Pro Bowl 2018 season, leading the young kicker to Seattle. Myers earned a second Pro Bowl invite as a Seahawk, helping the team to the playoffs in 2022. Two years earlier, he hit a 61-yard field goal against the Rams in Los Angeles. This came during the first of the NFL’s COVID-19-altered seasons, this one featuring no fans in attendance at SoFi Stadium. Myers’ make came during a 23-16 loss, however, as the Rams defense began to stall Russell Wilson’s early-season momentum. 

One of the most dramatic franchise record-setters came from Bryant, who reappears here thanks to his mid-career Bucs contributions. Washing out with the Giants and other teams, Bryant became a stable option in Tampa and peaked with a 62-yard make to topple the Eagles. Jon Gruden’s team won despite Donovan McNabb’s 300-yard day coming against a 104-yard showing from Bruce Gradkowski. Ronde Barber’s two pick-sixes helped put the improbable win in play, but the Bucs could only extend their final drive to the Eagles’ 44. Bryant bailed the hosts out in a 23-21 win. 

The Colts closed the 2006 season by winning Super Bowl XLI, but Peyton Manning’s team accomplished this after earning just the AFC’s No. 3 seed. Entering their Tennessee matchup 10-1, the Colts could not stop a Titans team trotting out rookie Vince Young at quarterback. Bironas finished off a Titans home upset, connecting on a game-winning 60-yard try. This came late in Bironas’ second NFL season. Chris Berman was already doing his “My Bironas” routine during highlights, however. The Titans finished that season 8-8 but made the 2007 playoffs after a Bironas Pro Bowl season.

Many of Ron Rivera’s players were not asked back in 2024; this included Slye, who made his way to New England during the offseason. Washington did not re-sign Slye, despite the two-time Rivera charge’s record-setting moment. Eventually following Rivera from Charlotte to Washington, Slye made a 61-yard field goal to, yes, close the first half against the Eagles in the teams’ second meeting. Although this extended the Commanders’ lead to 17-10, the Eagles rallied back in a game that preceded Washington trading away defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the deadline.