Evan McPherson has lived his best life the past few months.
He became a father for the first time in the offseason, and on Friday, the kicker signed a long-term extension with the Bengals. The deal is worth $16.5 million over three seasons.
“Couldn’t have written it better than what’s going on right now,” McPherson said, via Geoff Hobson of the team website. “I’m a very blessed man. I’ve got a great family. I’ve got a great wife, a beautiful daughter, and this.”
McPherson, 25, will get $10 million in the first year of his deal, which is a record for a kicker.
“I feel like that means this organization has faith in me,” said McPherson, the Bengals all-time leading postseason scorer. “I feel like they have enough faith in me to give me the money right now, rather than just wait and see if it works out before they give me a lot of the money. With how the contract is structured, I think it shows they have confidence in me and it should make me confident as well.”
A fifth-round pick in 2021, McPherson has made 83.9 percent of his career field goals and 95.5 percent of his extra points. Last year, he was 26-of-31 on field goals and 40-of-40 on extra points.
In his seven postseason games, McPherson has hit all 19 of his field goals, including all three from at least 50 yards.
“A ton of stuff left to achieve. I want to be more consistent as I get older, trying to find new ways to get better,” McPherson said. “To help this team get to the Super Bowl consistently. For me it’s always been trying to learn new ways to get consistent in my job.”