Place Kicker Placekicker , or simply kicker ( PK or K ) , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goal s , extra point s . In many cases , the placekicker also serves as the team ' s kickoff specialist ( KOS ) or , more rarely , punter ( P ) , as well . Specialized role of kicker ( vs punter ) . The kicker initially was not a specialized role . Until the 1960s , the kicker was almost always doubled at another position on the roster , George Blanda , Frank Gifford and Paul Hornung being some of the more prominent examples of players who were stars at other positions as well as being known for their kicking abilities . As the era of " two - way " players gave way to increased specialization , teams would employ a specialist at the punter or kicker position . Because of the difference in techniques needed , to avoid leg fatigue , and to reduce the risk of injury , on the professional level most teams employ separate players to handle the jobs . The placekicker usually will only punt when the punter is injured , and vice versa . ( One player often handles both jobs in the Canadian Football League , which has smaller active rosters than in the NFL . ) A professional team will occasionally even have a " kickoff specialist " who handles only the kickoffs and serves as a backup to the kicker who handles field goals and extra points . This is typically done to further protect a premier point - scoring kicker from injury or if he , while accurate , does not have sufficient distance on kickoffs . Amateur teams ( e . g . , college or high school ) often do not differentiate between placekickers and punters , have different players assume different placekicking duties ( for example , one person handles kicking off , another kicks long field goals , and another kicks from shorter distances ) , or have regular position players handle kicking duties . The last option is quite common on high school teams , when the best athletes are often the best kickers . Before the modern era of pro football , this was also the case for professional teams , particularly when most placekicks were still made in the " straight on " style outlined below . Salary and team standing . Placekickers and punters are often the lowest paid starters on professional teams , although proven placekickers sometimes earn over a million dollars per year in salary . In addition , kickers are at times ostracized by other players due to the perceived non - physical and limited nature of their duties , as well as the fact they often are allowed to leave practice before the rest of the team . It is not uncommon for a placekicker to be one of the smallest members of their team . The presence of foreign born - and - raised players in the highest levels of gridiron football has largely been limited to placekickers — occasionally even coming from outside the traditional American high school and / or college football systems — thereby increasing the perception of the placekicker as an outsider even though the placekicker is put into an extreme pressure situation every time he steps on the field . Nevertheless , due to their duties in kicking both field goals and extra points placekickers are usually responsible for scoring more points than any other player on a team . The top 25 players in NFL history in career scoring are all placekickers . Sebastian Janikowski of the Oakland Raiders , is the NFL ' s highest paid kicker . Kicking style . Placekickers today are almost all " soccer - style " kickers , approaching the ball from several steps to the left of it [ for a right - footed kicker ] and several steps behind and striking the ball with the instep of the foot . Before this method of kicking was popularized in the 1960s by Pete Gogolak and his younger brother Charlie ( the first placekicker to be drafted in the first round ) , every place kicker was a " straight on " kicker , a style that requires the use of a special shoe that is extremely rigid and has a flattened and slightly upturned toe . In the straight on style ( also known as " straight - toe " style ) , the kicker approaches the ball from directly behind , rather than from the side , and strikes the ball with the toe . Straight on kickers are relatively uncommon in college football ( due to the control and power disadvantages , along with soccer becoming more popular ) , but a very small percentage of high school football players still kick straight - toe . The last full - time straight on placekicker in the NFL was Mark Moseley who retired from the Cleveland Browns after the 1986 season ; Dirk Borgognone , who set records with the straight toe in high school , tried but failed to make several NFL teams in the early 1990s . Shoes . Placekickers in the modern game usually wear specialized shoes ( soccer boots ) , but in very rare circumstances some prefer to kick barefoot . Tony Franklin was one such kicker , who played in Super Bowl s for the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots . Another was Rich Karlis , who once shared the record for longest field goal in Super Bowl history ( kicking a 47 - yard field goal in Super Bowl XXI ) and for the most field goals in a game ( seven for Minnesota in 1989 , tying Jim Bakken ' s record of the time ) , a record since broken by Rob Bironas . More recently , Englishman Rob Hart kicked barefoot during his 7 - year NFL Europe career . John Baker also used the style in the 1990s in the Canadian Football League , as did José Cortéz in the XFL . Barefoot kickers are banned in the vast majority of high school games , due to a rule by the National Federation of State High School Associations , which requires all players to wear shoes . Massachusetts and Texas play by NCAA rules , and therefore barefoot kickers are legal in those two states . Kicking stance . Mostly all soccer - style kickers share a similar approach to the ball : knees bent , leaning forward at the waist , taking three steps , and then proceeding to kick the ball . Examples of unusual approaches include Paul Edinger , who stood backwards , and spun around 180 degrees to kick the ball , and Donald Igwebuike , who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , took a step backwards before approaching the ball .