Chase Joseph McLaughlin (born April 9, 1996) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. After going undrafted in 2019, McLaughlin spent time on five different rosters during the season, three of them as injury replacements.

College career

McLaughlin played

. During his time with the Fighting Illini, McLaughlin went 79 for 79 on extra point attempts, and his senior year was 4 for 6 on

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

s beyond 50 yards. Originally a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music * ''Walk On'', a 1994 album by Boston, and its title song Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album), 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album), 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album), 1992 *''Walk On'', a 2007 album by ...

, McLaughlin ended his college career as the 2019 Bakken–Andersen Kicker of the Year award winner and a First-team All-

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

selection. During a

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

game against

USF USF may refer to: Universities * University of Saint Francis (Indiana), Ft. Wayne, Indiana * University of San Francisco, California * University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida * University of St. Francis, Joliet, Illinois * University of Siou ...

, McLaughlin became the first Illinois kicker to score field goals of 50 plus yards in three consecutive games. McLaughlin later achieved a school record five 50-plus yard field goals.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

McLaughlin went undrafted in the

2019 NFL Draft The 2019 NFL Draft was the 84th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2019 NFL season. The draft was held on April 25–27 in Nashville, Tennessee. The first round was held on April 2 ...

, and signed with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2019.

Minnesota Vikings (first stint)

McLaughlin was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

on September 1, 2019. He was released on September 10.

Los Angeles Chargers

McLaughlin signed with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

on October 1, 2019. The move was to cover for injured Chargers kicker

Michael Badgley Michael Badgley (born July 28, 1995) is an American football placekicker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami Hurricanes football, Miami and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the ...

, and to give relief to Chargers punter

Ty Long Tyler Long (born April 6, 1993) is an American professional football punter who is a free agent. He played college football for the University of Alabama at Birmingham and holds records for career field goals as well as the longest field goal in ...

, who had assumed kicking duties. He was waived on October 29.

San Francisco 49ers

McLaughlin signed with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

on November 7, 2019, after kicker

Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III (; born December 6, 1982) is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all ...

injured his quad. In Week 10 against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...

, McLaughlin made three out of four field goals in the 27–24 overtime loss. Although he made a 47-yard kick with one second left in regulation to tie the game, McLaughlin's missed field goal occurred in overtime and would have given San Francisco the victory. He was waived on December 3, 2019.

Indianapolis Colts (first stint)

On December 4, 2019, McLaughlin was claimed off waivers by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

due to an injury to starter

Adam Vinatieri Adam Matthew Vinatieri (born December 28, 1972) is an American former football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 24 seasons with the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Considered one of the greatest kick ...

. On December 30, 2019, McLaughlin was signed to a one-year extension through 2020. On September 5, 2020, McLaughlin was waived by the Colts during final roster cuts.

Minnesota Vikings (second stint)

On September 8, 2020, McLaughlin was signed to the Vikings practice squad.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On November 10, 2020, the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

signed McLaughlin off of the Vikings' practice squad to fill in for the injured

Josh Lambo Joshua Gregory Lambo (born November 19, 1990) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and then signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars on October 17, 2017. H ...

. McLaughlin was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

list by the team on November 24, 2020, and activated on November 30. McLaughlin was waived by the Jaguars after they promoted

Aldrick Rosas Aldrick Rosas (born December 30, 1994) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the 2018 season as a member of the New York Giants. College career Rosas who is of Mexican–American desc ...

to the active roster on December 12.

New York Jets

On December 14, 2020, McLaughlin was claimed off waivers by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. On January 2, 2021, McLaughlin was promoted to full-time starter after the Jets' decision to cut

Sam Ficken Samuel James Ficken (born December 14, 1992) is an American football placekicker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonvil ...

. McLaughlin was waived after the season on May 7, 2021.

Cleveland Browns

McLaughlin was claimed off waivers by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

on May 10, 2021. In Week 3 of 2021 against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, McLaughlin made all four field goal attempts, including a 57-yarder, as well as both of his extra points. In the 2021 season, McLaughlin finished converting 36 of 37 extra point attempts and 15 of 21 field goal attempts. On April 5, 2022, McLaughlin re-signed with the Browns. He was waived on May 2, 2022.

Indianapolis Colts (second stint)

McLaughlin signed with the practice squad of the Colts on September 13, 2022, after the team released

Rodrigo Blankenship Rodrigo John Blankenship (born January 29, 1997), nicknamed Hot Rod, is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Georgia, where he kicked the longest field goal in Rose Bowl history. He has received co ...

. He was promoted to the active roster on October 4. In Week 5, McLaughlin made all four field goals, including two over 50 yards, in a 12–9 win over the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He finished the 2022 season converting all 21 extra point attempts and 30 of 36 field goal attempts.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 30, 2023, McLaughlin signed with the

. He was named the Buccaneers placekicker at the start of the 2023 season following the release of

. On March 11, 2024, McLaughlin signed a three-year, $12.3 million contract extension with the Buccaneers.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

*
Indianapolis Colts bio

Illinois Fighting Illini football bio

"Kicker Chase McLaughlin's faith helps him stay sane in a crazy profession!"
Interview by Kent Sterling, YouTube.com, October 26, 2022. (video) {{DEFAULTSORT:McLaughlin, Chase 1996 births Living people American football placekickers Buffalo Bills players Cleveland Browns players Illinois Fighting Illini football players Indianapolis Colts players Jacksonville Jaguars players Los Angeles Chargers players Minnesota Vikings players New York Jets players People from Cypress, Texas San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from Harris County, Texas Tampa Bay Buccaneers players