The Buffalo Bills can continue banking on “Hauschmoney” as the team announced they signed Stephen Hauschka to a two-year extension on Wednesday.
Bills signed K Stephen Hauschka to a two-year contract extension.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 28, 2019
Buffalo Bills Sign Kicker Stephen Hauschka to Extension
“I’m super excited,” Hauschka told the team’s official website. “We’ve come to love this place. It’s such a great place to work and raise a family. The culture and environment we get to work and play in every single day is amazing. We’re going to turn this thing around and win a bunch of games here and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Hauschka initially joined the Bills during the 2017 off-season after spending the previous six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He impressed mightily as converted 87.9 percent of his field goals during the regular season which was 11th-best in the league. He was also perfect on extra points, one of only six kickers in the league with at least 25 PATs to accomplish the feat. It played a part in Buffalo erasing their long playoff drought.
A year later, Hauschka went on an impressive streak of made kicks. He converted 17 field goals in a row which ranks as the second-longest such run in Bills franchise history behind Rian Lindell who made 18 straight back in 2007. And against the New England Patriots in Week Eight, he converted a 47-yard field goal to eclipse 1,000 points in his career. As a result, he’s now one of just 10 active NFL players with such a distinction.
Hauschka’s backstory on how he eventually became a pro-caliber placekicker is quite interesting. He initially went to Division III Middlebury College and eventually transferred to N.C. State for his final year of eligibility. After going undrafted in 2008, he would sign with the Minnesota Vikings who later released him. Over the next three seasons, he bounced around several teams including the Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, and Denver Broncos. He even won a UFL title with the Las Vegas Locomotives in 2010.
But it was with the Seahawks where his career initially took off. His six seasons in Seattle included playing a part in the franchise’s lone Lombardi Trophy when they knocked off the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII. Hauschka was perfect in the game, hitting two field goals and going 5/5 on extra points.
The Bills wrap up their 2019 preseason campaign on Thursday when they welcome the Minnesota Vikings to New Era Field. Kickoff takes place at 7 p.m. ET.
