Vikings Quietly Have One of the NFL’s Best Kickers
Kickers have given Vikings fans nightmares for years — don’t mention wide left — but for once, Minnesota has a guy they can rely on. In Will Reichard, do the Vikings have the league’s best kicker? The answer could be yes, as Reichard is proving to be as good as anybody in 2025.
Minnesota’s kicking game hasn’t drawn much attention this season, which in itself signals progress after years of late-game anxiety and inconsistency.
Minnesota drafted Reichard in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. Examples of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft picks, which have been a roaring success, are few and far between.
The man who has been nicknamed Will the Thrill certainly falls into that category. Reichard looked good as a rookie, although a quad injury disrupted his first year in Minnesota.
Will Reichard’s Numbers Put Him Among the League’s Elite
In Year 2, he has looked excellent, with his only misses coming on field goals over 50 yards, and there has been controversy over whether a TV camera cable deflected the ball. Reports were mixed over what happened, but it has gone down in the record books as a miss. Through 14 games, Reichard has made 24 of 26 field goal attempts and all 27 extra point attempts – keeping his perfect record on XPs since entering the league.
Among the Best in 2025
Reichard has a 92.3% success rate on field goals during the 2025 season, which is the fifth-best among kickers with at least 20 field goal attempts. At a time when 60+ yard kicks are becoming an expectation, Reichard has proved that he has the length as well as the accuracy, with a career-long of 62 yards this season — making him one of seven kickers to be successful from 60 yards this season.
Last week, Reichard was named in Pro Football Focus’ third-quarter All-Pro team as a second-teamer. The national recognition is there for the Vikings kicker. He was the only Vikings player to be selected, as rookie kick returner Myles Price lost the place that he had on the halfway mark team after some fumble issues in the interim.
Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey got the first team selection, and then the two kickers met on Sunday Night Football last week. Reichard had a perfect night, making all six of his kicks, while Aubrey missed twice on field goals over 50 yards. It could be the game that sees Reichard picking up the accolades at the end of the season. If he can be perfect the rest of the way, he should undoubtedly be in contention.
At just 24 years old, Reichard should have a long career ahead of him, and hopefully remedy the kicking nightmares of the past for Vikings fans.
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