Cody Parkey Had a Good Season for the Browns

Now that the season and playoffs are over for the Browns, I think it’s safe to talk about Cody Parkey. No position in professional sports is treated with more superstition than NFL kicker. Look no further than Mr. Automatic, Justin Tucker, of the Ravens who helped his team exit the playoffs against Buffalo. No matter how tough the conditions — and the conditions in Buffalo on Saturday were harsh — the expectation is that this barely-a-football-player who probably “converted from soccer to a real sport” skinny dude is supposed to be automatic for field goals and extra points. Now that the Browns are out, it’s safe to acknowledge Parkey who was eight for eight in extra points and three for three on field goals in the playoffs for the Browns.

I know that Barstool isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but notorious Bears fan Big Cat gave us the warning about Parkey before the playoffs in all his R-rated glory.

Browns fans, we’ve been warning you. Get rid of him now! pic.twitter.com/Bx47DHzLRn

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) December 21, 2020

It’s understandable from his perspective. The Bears had a chance to win the game, and this moment had to leave an indelible imprint on Bears fans forever.

But that’s for Bears fans to worry about. The Browns got the very best Parkey you could hope for. On December 29, Kevin Stefanski said he had “ton of confidence” in Parkey. This followed three weeks where Parkey made seven extra points in 10 attempts, including in losses to Baltimore and the New York Jets. Where fans shook, Stefanski said all the right things in the media and Parkey rewarded his coach with a nice run.

For the season, Parkey hig 92.7-percent of his extra points going 51 for 55. He hit 88% of his field goals going 22 for 25. In the end, Parkey had a season comparable to Justin Tucker’s. That’s pretty much all you can ask of a kicker in the NFL.

Here’s how the two kickers look from a statistical standpoint.

Parkey was on a one-year deal, and there’s every reason to think the Browns will bring him back. The only question will be if the Browns have to double or triple his $910,000 salary on a multi-year deal to get it done. The richest kicker contracts in the NFL are between $4 and $5 million.