Bengals McPherson not sweating contract extension

McPherson is in the final year of his rookie deal, set to make $1.055 million in base salary this season. Butker was at the end of his second contract.

“He’s been around the block a little longer than I have, proved himself a little more, but I don’t know,” McPherson said when asked what a guarantee like that would mean for him. “We’re just still grinding everything out and we’ll see if we can get something. I’m not sure.”

McPherson said Butker is one of the best kickers in the league, along with Elliott and Tucker, so he was deserving of his contract.

“He’s just fun to watch, super consistent with ball-striking,” McPherson said. “He does well under pressure. I mean, they wouldn’t have won the game last year against us when he had like six field goals -- They would not have won that game without him in those conditions that we played last year in Kansas City. I mean, nobody really understands how hard those kicks were that he made and so whatever he got… I think he deserves it.”

McPherson said he’s not frustrated by contract negotiations or the fact he doesn’t have a deal done, almost a month before the start of the season. He insists it would be great to get something done but if it doesn’t happen, he’s still happy.

The 2021 fifth-round draft pick wouldn’t say if he is confident he will get an extension before the season.

“I hope; I guess I don’t really hope because if it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t,” McPherson said. “But I cannot confirm nor deny what will transpire because truly I’m not certain.”

Asked why he doesn’t seem stressed out by the process at all, McPherson said it’s “unneeded.”

“I think it’s just some unneeded stress to worry about that because at the end of the day, if I just perform like I’m supposed to, it’ll get done,” McPherson said. “And I believe that, and I think if I just keep my head down, keep playing, something will come up eventually.”

McPherson has plenty of other things consuming his time, like working on dropping kickoffs between the 5-yard line and goal line so as to make returns more difficult on the opponent now that touchbacks go out to the 30-yard line.

The former Florida kicker also is working with three different holders in camp this year, as punter Brad Robbins now has competition from Austin McNamara and most recent addition Ryan Rehkow. McPherson doesn’t ask a lot of his holders, but they all have their own “uniqueness.”

“They’re all three doing a really good job,” McPherson said. “I feel like we’re not the strictest on holders, but we get on them pretty good about everybody’s got to hold the same, depending on wind, conditions and everybody’s adapted pretty well and how we like to do things.”

“I’m kind of like you hit the spot, I think I should make it. But just get the ball down is what I normally say, get the ball down and lean it to you, and usually I try to make it.”

McPherson is 78-for-93 on field goal attempts in his career, and he was perfect from less than 50 yards last year, but nothing compares to his rookie season when he had five game-winning field goals, including one to clinch the AFC North title and two in the playoffs to help the Bengals to the Super Bowl.

An overtime winner at Kansas City in the AFC Championship was his most memorable one, he said, but his walk-off field goal against Minnesota in the 2021 opener – his NFL debut – gave him some confidence and “propelled him” that year.

Those are the types of kicks that will get him paid.

“I mean I would say as a kicker that’s something that you really try to hone in, is like your clutch ability because you want to be there for the guys,” McPherson said. “They play a long football game and for a game to come down to my leg, I mean, you don’t want to miss and all that hard work that they put in was for nothing. So I feel like the clutch kicks as a kicker you (get paid for those).”