Detroit Lions re-sign K Matt Prater

By Will Osgood | Mar 6, 2015

Oct 26, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater (5) celebrates with Sam Martin (6) and Riley Reiff (71) after kicking a 48-yard field goal with no time remaining against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. The Lions defeated the Falcons 22-21. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Detroit Lions announced Friday they had reached a three-year contract agreement with kicker Matt Prater.

March is quite a busy month for NFL franchises. They have to clear cap space in hopes of bolstering their rosters with new talent, which of course takes great amounts of effort in evaluating potential incoming talent. They also keep working on the college scouting process in preparation for the late April (into May) draft.

The Detroit Lions are no different. They released running back Reggie Bush on February 25 in hopes of clearing enough cap space to re-sign their defensive tackle duo of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.

And Friday they made an important move to solidify their kicking game, by re-signing Matt Prater, who joined the team in the middle of last season. The financials of the three-year deal were not made known immediately, but it will certainly not hurt the Lions from a cap perspective.

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For a Lions team which took a step forward in head coach Jim Caldwell’s first season after a disastrous 2013 season under Jim Schwartz, it had one major issue through the first half of the year.

Prater was the answer to that problem–field goals. The Lions began the year using Nate Freese. He failed. So too did Alex Henery.

That’s when the Lions called Prater, who had been released by the Denver Broncos after an off-field incident. In Detroit, Prater found a welcoming atmosphere and appreciation, “I feel loyalty here because they gave me an opportunity, and I had a lot of fun here. I love the team, the coaches, from the ownership, Martin (Mayhew), Tom (Lewand) and everyone. I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Prater did not necessarily look like the answer either for the Lions when in his first game with the Lions, Prater went just 1-for-3 against the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions, however, probably tired of the revolving door of kickers, stuck with him and were rewarded as he won them the game against the Falcons in London.

The eight-year veteran finished the 2014 season 21-for-26, including an impressive 3-of-5 on field goals of 50-plus yards. And not to be taken for granted, he was a perfect 21-for-21 on extra point attempts.

Prater is the historical leader in long-distance kicking, making 75 percent of his career attempts from beyond 50 yards. And his clutch kicking is equally impressive.

The Lions may not re-sign Suh, or even Fairley, but they know that at the worst, they’ll at least have a reliable kicker when the 2015 NFL seasons kicks off.

Next: Indianapolis Colts will not bring back Reggie Wayne

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