Ross Matiscik Just Became the NFL’s Highest-Paid Long Snapper. The Jaguars Made History.
Long snappers do not make headlines often. Ross Matiscik just made one.
The Jacksonville Jaguars handed Matiscik a two-year contract extension worth $3.8 million on Wednesday, making him the highest-paid long snapper in NFL history. The deal keeps him in Jacksonville through the 2028 season.
This is the kind of contract that fans roll their eyes at without understanding the context. Matiscik is not just any long snapper. He is one of the best to ever do the job.
He has been to three Pro Bowls. He has been named first-team All-Pro twice. Since he entered the league in 2020, no long snapper has more special teams tackles than his 22. That is the resume of a guy the Jaguars literally cannot replace.
What makes Matiscik’s career story even better is how he got here. He went undrafted in 2020. He fought his way onto the roster. He turned what most teams treat as a forgettable roster spot into one of the most consistent special teams jobs in football. The Jaguars are paying him to keep doing exactly that.
The cap hit barely registers. A long snapper at $1.9 million per year is the kind of bargain a smart front office is happy to lock in. The only reason this is news is because of the title attached to it.
And that title matters. Other NFL long snappers will use this deal as the new benchmark. The Patriots’ Joe Cardona, the Cowboys’ Trent Sieg, and a handful of others now have a fresh number to negotiate against. That ripple effect is the real story behind the contract.
For Matiscik, this is the validation of a career built on doing one thing exceptionally well. He has not missed a snap in years. He has been around on punt coverage for years. He is the kind of veteran every special teams coordinator wishes they had on the roster.
The Jaguars under Trent Baalke and head coach Liam Coen have been smart about identifying the small contracts that matter. Locking up Matiscik fits that pattern. Special teams wins games. Bad snaps lose them. Jacksonville just bought certainty for $3.8 million.
For the casual fan, this is a “who cares” deal. For anyone who has watched a botched field goal flip a playoff game, it is exactly the kind of move you want your front office making in June.
Matiscik is now part of the answer to a trivia question. Highest paid long snapper in NFL history. Five years in, two All-Pros deep, no plans to slow down. The Jaguars made it official.
Pay your specialists. The kicker gets the glory, the snapper makes it possible. Matiscik just cashed in on five years of being one of the best in the league at the thing nobody notices until it goes wrong.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
