The Bills are gearing up for this weekend’s wild-card round, but it’s unclear who will kick for them in Jacksonville on Sunday. Matt Prater aggravated a quadriceps injury in the Bills’ Week 18 win over the Jets. Prater is considered day-to-day, head coach Sean McDermott said (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).
With Prater’s status uncertain, the Bills will work out kickers this week, McDermott announced. This is the third time the Bills have had to go this route in the past few weeks.
After Prater injured his quad in a Week 15 win over the Patriots, the Bills auditioned Michael Badgley and Matthew Wright on Dec. 16. They signed Badgley, who had been out of a job for two weeks after the Colts cut him.
Although Badgley hit 10 of 11 field goals with the Colts, they moved on after he converted just 18 of 21 extra points. His final PAT miss with Indianapolis proved costly in a Week 13 loss to Houston.
Badgley went on to struggle filling in for Prater in two games with the Bills. He made his lone field goal, but he missed two of four extra points. A blocked PAT against the Eagles in Week 17 helped sink the Bills in a 13-12 loss.
It’s unclear whether the Bills will consider a reunion with Badgley, but it’s worth noting that they worked out other kickers while he was still a member of the organization. Younghoe Koo, Gavin Stewart and Maddux Trujillo tried out on Dec. 23 (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic). The Bills didn’t see any as an upgrade over Badgley at the time. Those three remain on the market alongside the likes of Justin Tucker, Matt Gay and Cade York, among others.
Tucker is easily the most proven kicker available, but the longtime Raven’s performance fell off dramatically in 2024. The 36-year-old has since served a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The league handed down the punishment after allegations of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions went public against Tucker last February. Tucker worked out for the Saints in late November and the Colts in early December, but neither team signed him.
If Prater’s unavailable on Sunday and the Bills don’t turn back to Badgley, they’ll use their third kicker of the season in the opening round of the playoffs. Tyler Bass handled the job from 2020-24, but he began 2025 on IR with a hip/groin injury and underwent season-ending surgery on Dec. 1. With Bass on the shelf, the Bills signed the 41-year-old Prater days before the start of the season.
When healthy, Prater has been a reliable option for Buffalo. The two-time Pro Bowler went 18 of 20 on field goals and 46 of 49 on extra points during the regular season, but it’s anyone’s guess whether he’ll participate in the playoffs.
Well, buckle up… here we go! Maxwell is out. Prater is a huge concern. But… You roll with who ya got!! Go Josh, Go Bills!!!!!!!
Bills are so badly beat up defensively. Hairston is a real killer. Tre has to go on a little stretch here channeling his old self if the team is going to go on a run here. The kicker situation is an unmitigated disaster. Prayers for Prater’s quad.
Prater’s quad is why Buffalo had to go for 2 on their 2nd-half TDs vs. the Jets.
Barring a Chargers run, the Bills will have to be road warriors all through the playoffs as the AFC #6 seed.
Prater’s quad is why they lost the eagles game.
Have they checked if Allen can kick?
Just sign Tucker to the practice squad and pray Prater heals quickly (which isn’t easy at his age).
Just keep him away from those “fancy” massages.
Have they ever seriously considered giving Ray Davis some kicking reps in practice? I realize he hasn’t kicked since high school, but in situations like this, it can’t hurt to have an emergency kicker already on your roster.