Not only did these players make NFL history, but a couple overachieving kickers like Brett Maher and Matt Prater landed at the top of the list more than once.
5-way Tie for 4th Longest Distance: 62 Yards
- Matt Bryant: For 11 years, Bryant held the record on his own. He kicked the 62-yarder in 2011 as part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- Stephen Gostkowski: In 2017, Gostkowski, a former kicker for the New England Patriots, joined Bryant.
- Brett Maher: Brett Maher hit 62 yards in 2018.
- Matt Prater: In 2021, the Arizona Cardinals’ Prater kicked his first 62-yarder. He did it again in 2023.
- Harrison Butker: Just as time expired in the first half of a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, Butker made a 62-yard field goal.
6-way Tie for 3rd Longest Distance: 63 Yards
In 1970, Tom Dempsey, of the New Orleans Saints, kicked a 63-yard field goal. His record stood for 43 years. But he is not the only kicker to make a 63-yard field goal during an NFL game.
- Tom Dempsey: Dempsey broke the record in 1970 as part of the New Orleans Saints.
- Jason Elam: In 1998, 28 years after Dempsey, Jason Elam, of the Broncos, tied the record.
- Sebastian Janikowski: In 2011, Sebastian Janikowski joined Elam and Dempsey with his 63-yard field goal for the Oakland Raiders.
- David Akers: Akers matched the record in 2012 while playing for the San Francisco 49ers.
- Graham Gano: In 2018, Carolina Panthers’ Graham Gano made a 63-yard field goal.
- Brett Maher: A year after successfully hitting a 62-yard field goal, Maher kicked a 63-yarder in 2019 for the Dallas Cowboys.
No. 2: 64 Yards
Matt Prater held the NFL field goal record for eight years. Then a part of the Denver Broncos, Prater successfully hit a 64-yard field goal in 2013. He broke Tom Dempsey’s 63-yard record, a highlight of his NFL career.
“Honestly, that was something I hoped my whole career just to get an opportunity to attempt one,” Prater told ESPN. “So that made it all worthwhile all the years, and just to get an opportunity to get a chance at it.”
While the altitude in the mile-high stadium can be an advantage, Prater and a former Broncos coach said that it didn’t help that day. “I’m just telling you, it had to be one of the five coldest games I’ve been a part of,” coach Jeff Rodgers told ESPN.
No. 1: 66 Yards
Justin Tucker, of the Baltimore Ravens, broke the previous record in 2021. With three seconds left in the fourth quarter, Tucker kicked for 66 yards, making it the longest field goal in NFL history. The game-winning field goal earned the Ravens a win against the Detroit Lions.
He didn’t have as much luck before the start of the game. “As soon as it left my foot, I knew it was going to have a chance, but I was short from 65 in pregame both ways,” he said. “For whatever reason, I just couldn’t get the ball to just go and, thankfully, we found an extra yard-and-a-half that I didn’t have three hours before and I’m grateful for that.”
