Kicker Matt Prater agrees to 4-year deal with Denver Broncos - NFL News
Last season the Denver Broncos owed much of their push to the playoffs thanks to stirring comebacks from quarterback, Tim Tebow, however, the player who had responsibility to close those games was kicker, Matt Prater.
Prater in the 2011 regular season was of huge importance to the Broncos and the franchise’s six-game winning run which took them to the playoffs would not have been possible without him.
Kicking the winner in three consecutive games on the final play, Prater had cemented his name as an important cog in the Broncos team.
With the start of the preseason training camp approaching closer, the kicker on Monday signed a new long-term deal with the franchise which will keep him at the franchise for four more seasons.
According to the Denver Post, the new contract is worth approximately $ 13 million and also includes a $ 3 million signing bonus.
The latest deal puts the Broncos kicker in the big league, as he would now become the third highest paid player at his position in the league with average earnings of $ 3.25 million.
Speaking about his new deal Prater said:
"I've progressed and gotten better. I was hoping for (the contract) to happen, and now that it's happened I'm very thankful and gracious and ready to prove why I got a long-term contract. I need to show everyone that I'm worth it."
Prater was put on a franchise tender by the Broncos in March as both the player’s representative and the franchise could not agree on a new deal in time.
However, both parties were close to agreeing according to Prater and after negotiating some minor details they both agreed on the terms for the new deal.
Denver Broncos executive vice president John Elway, was quick to tweet his happiness at the deal and said:
"This was the final piece in setting our roster for camp, and we are thrilled Matt is going to be a Bronco for a long time. ... Matt has developed into one of the NFL's elite kickers and is a big part of our team.,"
The Broncos this year are looking a much better team than last season and it seems they are ready to push for the playoffs once again.
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