The Detroit Lions announced an agreement with kicker Matt Prater Friday on a three-year contract extension to keep him with the organization through the 2017 season.
Tim Twentyman of the team's official site passed along comments from both sides after the deal was confirmed. Head coach Jim Caldwell talked about the special teams improvement after Prater, who played 11 games for the team last season, arrived.
"As Matt got more acclimated with us, especially with Don (Mulbach) and Sam (Martin), he really became someone we could count on and was a positive contributor to our kicking game last season," he said. "Our field goal unit made significant improvement with Matt as the season went on."
Prater was hoping to remain in Detroit and is happy they found common ground, per the report:
I am thankful for this opportunity and excited to come back to Detroit. I hope to do my part to help this team win. I am also looking forward to returning and working with both Sam (Martin) and Mule (Don Mulhbach). We had to adjust quickly to each other in the middle of the season, and this off-season will be valuable in our preparation for the coming year.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network provided the terms of the deal, which will see the kicker earn an average of $3 million per season:
Prater led the league in field-goal percentage while with the Denver Broncos in 2013 (96.2). He was suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season for violating the league's substance-abuse program. Denver ultimately decided to move forward with Brandon McManus and Connor Barth.
The Lions then signed the 30-year-old veteran. He missed two of his three field goals in his debut with the team before settling in. He connected on 20 of 23 attempts over the next 10 games and made both tries in a postseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Detroit clearly saw enough positive signs to lock him in as its kicker for the next few years.