Free agent Nick Novak wants to bring his invaluable leg back to the Texans.
Free-agent kicker ranked second in field goals made
Nick Novak emerged as arguably the most valuable player on the Texans’ struggling offense last season as the veteran kicker helped propel them to a second consecutive AFC South championship.
With Novak booting a franchise-record 35 field goals and tying for second in the NFL with Philadelphia Eagles kicker Caleb Sturgis for the most field goals, only Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker made more kicks with 38 field goals on 39 attempts.
Novak converted 16 consecutive field goals late in the season, including making all five kicks and having five touchbacks during a pivotal December win over the Indianapolis Colts that helped the Texans win the division again.
Now that his one-year, $965,000 contract has expired, Novak is a pending unrestricted free agent who prefers to remain with the Texans.
“I want to be back,” Novak said recently. “I’m really proud of what we’ve done, and I’m excited to be back with the same guys. I really feel like I can help the Texans get to where they want to go. I leave it up to my agent and the personnel department to get a deal done.
“I don’t know what kind of progress is being made, but it’s all positive. I’ve heard some really good things from (general manager) Rick Smith, (coach) Bill O’Brien, (specialteams coordinator) Larry Izzo. We’ll see what happens.”
Novak’s performance warrants a raise considering how he stacks up against other NFL kickers. He has made 93 percent of his field goals inside 50 yards over the past five seasons and connected on four of seven kicks from 50 yards or longer last season.
Near top of the market
Over the past two seasons, Novak has made 48 of 51 kicks inside 50 yards for a 94-percent clip. That trumps other free-agent kickers, including Robbie Gould, Steven Hauschka, Phil Dawson, Greg Zuerlein and Connor Barth. During that span, Novak has made all 18 kicks from 20 to 29 yards and all 17 from 30 to 39 yards. He converted 12 of 15 from 40 to 49 yards to rank second to Gould.
New England Patriots Pro Bowl selection Stephen Gostkowski is the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, playing under a fouryear, $17.2 million contact. Over the past five seasons, Novak’s statistics closely mirror Gostkowski’s from under 50 yards. Gostkowski has superior numbers from 50 yards and beyond where he has made 16 of 19 attempts while Novak has converted 12 of 21.
Among the average compensation per year for other top kickers: the Dallas Cowboys’ Dan Bailey earns $3.24 million, the Carolina Panthers’ Graham Gano $3.1 million and the Buffalo Bills’ Dan Carpenter $2.487 million.
Novak has established himself as one of the top kickers in the league.
“I’ve really got to give all the credit to my teammates,” said Novak, referring to holder Shane Lechler and long snapper Jon Weeks. “We have a great unit and cohesiveness building the last two years. I had a lot of opportunities this season, more than I’ve had in my career before. The more I get to do my job, the happier I am. My mentality has always been to be a good teammate and to win games. I just want to do my part.
“Overall, I think it was a very solid season. From what the coaches told me, they thought I did what they asked me to do. I’m really happy with the production on field goals. Of course, you can always do better. I want to make more kicks from 50 yards or longer. It wasn’t perfect. That’s always the goal. I just love to compete and be with a group of guys trying to win a championship.”
Sharing knowledge
Novak plans to train in San Diego for the next few months before the offseason training program launches in April. He wants to work on his repertoire of different kickoffs.
Novak also plans to start kicking again earlier this year because his leg feels good. He will devote some time to tutoring younger kickersa and passing on knowledge about technique.
He still spends time talking with retired kickers like Matt Stover and John Carney to pick up tips. He talked this week with Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.
“We’ve become really good friends over the years,” Novak said. “I’ve got so much respect for him.
“I’ve always tried to pick the brains of the other kickers. They’ve got so much knowledge.”