Bombs Away: Seahawks Make Michael Dickson NFL’s Highest-Paid Punter - Again
Re-claiming his spot as the NFL’s highest-paid punter, the Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms with former All-Pro Michael Dickson on a new four-year contract that ties him to the organization through the 2029 season.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Dickson’s new deal will be worth $16.2 million with an average salary of $3.62 million, surpassing Lions punter Jack Fox for the highest APY at the position. Full details of the contract have yet to be disclosed.
Dickson, who turned 29 years old in January, now is the longest-tenured member of the team following the departure of receiver Tyler Lockett this offseason and recently received a nod as one of the franchise’s Top 50 players as part of Seattle’s 50th year anniversary, joining Jon Ryan as one of two punters to garner the honor.
“It's crazy going into my eighth year. I still feel like my rookie season was like a season ago,” Dickson told reporters following an OTA practice earlier this month. “I come out here and think about that rookie minicamp where I was locked in, taking it super serious and I still feel like I'm like that today. Like I said earlier, I haven't taken any of my time here for granted. I'm doing everything I can to when the time comes, leave with no regrets.”
Quickly establishing himself as a rare fan favorite at the position in part due to a gutsy nine-yard run on a fourth down play in a road win over the Lions that spawned him the nickname “Big Balls Dickson,” Dickson earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a rookie in 2018, averaging 48.2 yards per punt with nearly 36 percent of his punts being downed inside the opposing 20-yard line. Though he has not been an All-Pro or Pro Bowler since, he has remained one of the league’s premier punters, including finishing fifth in net yards per punt and eighth in punts down inside the opposing 20 last season.
Known for his wizardry making the football do crazy things coming off of his foot to go with one of the league’s strongest legs, Dickson has finished outside the top six in net punt yard average only twice in his seven-year NFL career and impressively pinned 42 percent of his punts inside the opposing 20-yard line, proving to be a beacon of consistent excellence. He also has been a key part of Seattle’s success in the kicking game as a holder for kicker Jason Myers, who set a new Seahawks franchise record with nine field goals of 50-plus yards splitting the uprights.
One of the most respected veterans on the Seahawks roster, Dickson’s work ethic, professionalism, and attention to detail immediately caught the attention of special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh, who sees him as a player that everyone in the building can learn from by example. Now, he will have the pleasure of hopefully coaching him through the rest of the 2020s, giving the franchise stability on special teams to close out the decade.
"He's certainly not taken for granted within this building. We love him, and I'm highly impressed by him all the time. I think the world of him. His consistency as a performer, he's really a model. Even though it is really different from a lot of other positions on the field, I think when you get past that, if you're another player and you see who he is as a pro and what he does day in and day out, the mental approach, the care he takes for his body, his ability to take information, good or bad, and process it and then move on, it's really a great example for other players as well.”
