Bills preparing contingency plan in case kicker Matt Prater can't face Jaguars
A tryout will be held Tuesday at One Bills Drive in case Matt Prater cannot kick for the Buffalo Bills in their wild-card playoff game at Jacksonville.
Atryout will be held Tuesday at One Bills Drive in case Matt Prater cannot kick for the Buffalo Bills in their wild-card playoff game at Jacksonville.
The injury to Prater's right quad is not serious enough for the Bills to rule out the 41-year-old kicker, coach Sean McDermott told reporters Monday, but the team is going to evaluate a few free agents to try to find someone who can kick Sunday against the third-seeded Jaguars (13-4).
Buffalo Bills place kicker Matt Prater (15) kicks an extra point during the second quarter at Highmark Stadium, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.
Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Prater re-injured his right quad during the second quarter Sunday and McDermott learned at halftime that he would not have a kicker for the rest of the game.
It won't be easy to find a replacement, as Buffalo learned two weeks ago when it brought three kickers – Younghoe Koo (12 missed field goals in last 20 games), Gavin Stewart (no NFL experience) and Maddux Trujillo (rookie injured during training camp with Indianapolis) – to Orchard Park for a tryout because the one it signed to its practice squad to fill in during Prater's first absence, Michael Badgley, struggled during his Bills debut.
The team chose not to sign Koo, Stewart or Trujillo, opting instead to keep Badgley for a Week 17 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he had an extra point blocked in Buffalo's 13-12 loss. Prater is 18 of 20 on field goals, 6 for 6 between 40-49 yards, and 46 of 49 on extra points.
