1. Will Reichard
It shouldn’t be this easy to rank so high. Will Reichard was selected in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. An injury cut his rookie season to 13 games. His second season may have been the greatest display of kicking I’ve ever seen. In only two seasons, Will Reichard has become more myth than real. In only two seasons, he’s risen to be the best kicker in Vikings history. He is that good at kicking a football.
2. Fred Cox
I discovered the Vikings with Fred Cox as the kicker. Despite becoming the kicker in the Vikings third season, it just felt like he’d always been the team’s kicker. He’s the team’s all-time scoring leader and second isn’t remotely close. Cris Carter’s 670 points is less than half of Cox’s 1365 points.
Fred Cox also invented the Nerf football. That alone is almost enough to bump him ahead of Will Reichard. Reichard is just too good,
3. Ryan Longwell
As a Cal alum, it was a revelation to see Ryan Longwell depart Green Bay for Minnesota. Until Will Reichard, Longwell was the most reliable kicker of my Vikings life. He was a great kicker in Green Bay. That’s why he was there for nine years. He was even better in Minnesota. The cozy comfort of a domed stadium certainly helped. If Longwell was kicking for the Vikings in 1998, they would’ve been playing in Super Bowl XXXIII. If he had a chance to kick in 2009, the Vikings would’ve been playing in Super Bowl XLIV.
4. Blair Walsh
There was a time when Blair Walsh was for the Vikings what Will Reichard is now. Walsh’s rookie season is one of the best rookie seasons in the kicking history of the NFL. He was outstanding as a rookie. He was great in his second and third seasons. Then he missed that short kick in the frozen outdoors against the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs. After that, he had the yips. He was never the same kicking beast he was as a rookie.
5. Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson kicked in the NFL for 23 years. From 1998-2002, he kicked for the Vikings. In 1998, he was perfect, 35 field goal attempts. 35 field goals made. 59 extra points attempts 59 extra points made. Anderson didn’t miss a kick until the NFC Championship. His miss in that game is one of the most painful moments in Vikings franchise history.
In Gary Anderson, Ryan Longwell, and Blair Walsh, Vikings fans have seen the gamut of a kickers impact. All three were among the best in the league during their Minnesota days. Anderson missed a kick he always makes. Longwel never got a shot at potentially the biggest kick in team history. Walsh missed that easy kick in very cold weather. Here’s hoping that Will Reichard gets all of those big kick opportunities. And more. Will “the Thrill” will not miss.
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