Chase McLaughlin: The Bucs’ Unsung Hero | Pewter Report

A lot was made about Jason Licht’s 2024 offseason, save one transfer: re-signing Chase McLaughlin. Licht was tasked with bringing again a bevy of Bucs potential in-house free brokers. For essentially the most half, all of these strikes paid off.

Bucs Okay Chase McLaughlin – Picture by: USA At the moment

Quarterback Baker Mayfield re-signed after which proceeded to have a career-year, ending with the best single-season completion share and rating within the prime 5 in touchdowns and passing yards in a single season.

Vast receiver Mike Evans re-signed and proceeded to set a profession excessive in yards per route run whereas additionally notching his record-setting eleventh consecutive season of reaching 1,000 yards receiving and hitting double-digit touchdowns for the sixth time in his profession.

Security Antoine Winfield Jr. has been maligned with accidents this yr in a season he’ll probably wish to overlook from a private perspective.

However linebacker Lavonte David has had a stable season. Improbable once you consider his age. 122 tackles, 9 for a loss, 5.5 sacks, three pressured fumbles. He did his finest to carry collectively a protection that misplaced a number of gamers on an virtually weekly foundation.

However the one participant Licht retained who has gone virtually utterly below the radar was McLaughlin.

Bucs Get A Deal On Chase McLaughlin’s Contract

The Bucs initially signed Chase McLaughlin to compete for the kicker job previous to the 2023 season. He not solely received the job however went on to a have a historic season. Coming off of a one-year contract, Licht wanted to re-sign McLaughlin together with the extra established stars on the roster. Now be mindful simply three years prior, Licht and assistant normal supervisor Mike Greenberg had signed former kicker Ryan Succop to a three-year $12 million contract averaging $4 million per yr.

Succop was coming off a season the place he related on 90.3% of his discipline aim makes an attempt whereas hitting only one kick from past 50 yards. McLaughlin was coming off of a season in 2023 the place he had related on 93.6% of his discipline aim tries with seven coming from 50 or past. As a matter of reality, he had hit on 87.5% of his makes an attempt from downtown.

Mix these outcomes with a wage cap that was 26% larger than it was in 2021, and Chase had an ideal case for a way more profitable deal than Succop’s. I had him projected for a median annual wage of $5.4 million. However one way or the other, someway, the Bucs retained McLaughlin’s providers for simply an additional $100k per season over the place they landed Succop in 2021.

“Money” McLaughlin Is Re-Writing Historical past Books

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and Okay Chase McLaughlin – Picture by: Cliff Welch/PR

For his encore, McLaughlin beat his personal accuracy file for 2023 in 2024. After going 29-of-31 final yr, he bought one further try this season. And he transformed that further discipline aim pushing his record-setting discipline aim share from 93.5% to 93.8%.

He maintained his accuracy from distance as properly, hitting on eight of 10 makes an attempt from 50 yards or extra. McLaughlin is one in every of simply six kickers with a minimum of 10 makes an attempt from that distance who’ve hit at an 80% fee or higher.

McLaughlin ranks first general in group historical past for discipline aim share. He’s at present tied with Martin Gramatica and Connor Barth for the franchise lead in discipline targets made of fifty+ yards with 15. Gramatica wanted 24 makes an attempt and 6 seasons to get his 15. Barth wanted 23 and 7. McLaughlin has accomplished it in simply 15 and two, respectively.

He’s shortly changing into the perfect kicker in franchise historical past, and it seems like nobody actually is aware of it…but.

McLaughlin has been integral to a number of wins this season, beginning in Week 2 in opposition to Detroit when his two discipline targets helped the Bucs to a four-point win in enemy territory. Quick ahead to Week 13 when Tampa Bay defeated the Panthers in time beyond regulation 26-23, McLaughlin hit on 4-of-5, together with a vital 51-yarder as time expired that despatched the sport into further time. Even within the Week 18 victory in opposition to the Saints, McLaughlin’s two discipline targets had been essential to Tampa Bay having a one-point lead late within the sport earlier than Bucky Irving’s landing put the sport practically out of attain.

With a dependable kicker who can hit from distance offensive coordinators generally is a bit extra aggressive and head coaches can have the peace of thoughts to be ok with level manufacturing. The sector is stretched a bit additional when it comes to “scoring range.”

The group feels a bit lighter and freer. The Bucs have this in spades as a result of leg of 1 man – Chase “Money” McLaughlin.