Tim Masthay has a pretty good gig and he stands to hold onto it for a while longer.
Masthay only had to punt 55 times last season, there were 27 punters with more attempts, but the Packers obviously liked what they saw in his limited appearances on the football field. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the the team has come to terms on a four-year extension with Masthay that kicks in after the 2012 season.
Per Rapoport, the deal will pay Masthay $5.465 million with $1.2 million guaranteed. Masthay will make $540,000 this season so he stands to make just over $6 million in the next five years. That’s not as much as guys like Shane Lechler, Thomas Morstead and Andy Lee will make, but it’s a nice chunk of job security for a player who had to win a training camp competition two years ago. It should also make running backs feel good to learn that there’s still one kicking job that doesn’t pay better than their chosen profession.
Masthay averaged 45.6 yards per punt last season and dropped 23 punts inside the 20-yard-line against four touchbacks. His gross and net averages were both improved from his first season with the team and the Packers obviously think that trend will continue or at least plateau at a high enough level to keep punting from being a problem in Green Bay for the next few years.