During the 2023 NFL season, the unique demands and pressures faced by kickers have come into sharper focus, highlighting a professional role that combines physical skill with intense psychological resilience. Cameron Dicker, the Los Angeles Chargers’ starting kicker, recently detailed his weekly routine and the nuances of his position during a live recording of the Unfiltered Soccer podcast in Los Angeles, drawing the astonishment of hosts and listeners alike.
Dicker explained that his typical week involves relatively light physical activity compared to other football players. His schedule includes a game on Sunday, leg workouts on Monday, upper-body training and game film review Tuesday, about 50 kicks on Wednesday, reduced kicking and leg work Thursday, followed by two rest days before the next game. The NFL’s four-month regular season, longer only if a team advances to the playoffs, contrasts sharply with the year-round intensity seen in many other sports. At an annual salary of $5.5 million, the role on paper might appear cushy, but Dicker and football veterans stress the mental challenge of performing under pressure.
Former U.S. men’s national soccer team goalkeeper Tim Howard and retired midfielder Landon Donovan expressed surprise at the kicker’s schedule. Howard, reflecting on his own long career, lamented the intensity and frequency of his own workload compared to Dicker’s, who quipped that he spends his off-time playing video games like FIFA.
The true difficulty of NFL kicking, experts say, lies in executing under pressure. Although many amateurs might be able to kick field goals from long distances in practice, replicating that success in high-stakes moments defines elite kickers. The margin between success and failure is narrow and can shape a player’s career trajectory. Harrison Mevis, a kicker for the Los Angeles Rams, experienced this firsthand. After having a game-winning field goal blocked against the Buffalo Bills, Mevis was released by the team less than 24 hours later.
Similarly, Charlie Smyth’s rise and fall last season exemplifies the precarious nature of the job. Smyth transitioned from a Gaelic football goalkeeper in Northern Ireland to starting kicker for the New Orleans Saints, earning a three-year contract. Yet the subsequent offseason brought competition that ultimately resulted in Smyth being cut from the roster before the 2023 season started.
The stakes and drama of NFL kicking were underscored by a standout moment last Sunday in London, where the Jacksonville Jaguars clinched a dramatic victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Cam Little, 23, sealed the win with a 57-yard field goal as time expired, immediately celebrating by sprinting to the opposite end of the field. Little described the accomplishment as a lifelong dream.
Such moments highlight the razor-thin margin between heroics and disappointment that kickers face each week, underscoring the psychological demands alongside the physical precision required. As the NFL season continues, kickers remain pivotal, sought after for their poise in pressure-packed situations even as their positions remain among the most volatile and contested in professional sports.