The NFL's Miami Dolphins signed a five-year contract extension with their kicker Jason Sanders, announced the team on Tuesday. The deal is worth $22 million and $10 million of it is guaranteed money, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In the past season, the Dolphins accomplished a surprising 10-6 record despite their inconsistent offense. That itself spoke to how important Sanders and the 36 field goals he made were to the team. Going 36-39 (92.3 percent) in 2020 and 77-89 (86.5 percent) so far in his career is the best record in the Dolphins' franchise history. Meanwhile, scoring 144 points also matched a team record kept by Olindo Mare.

Twenty of Sanders' field goals last season were from 40 yards or longer and eight from 50+yards. In the game against the Arizona Cardinals, it was Sanders who made a last-minute 50-yard field kick to help the Dolphins win 34-31. In the team's penultimate game, Sanders again made a 44-yard boot with one second on the clock to lift the Dolphins over the Las Vegas Raiders 26-25 to pocket their 10th win. No wonder he was named to the All-Pro First Team.

"He's been great the entire year and he's taking real ownership of his craft. Every kick is important to him, whether it's kickoff or if it's a field goal. This guy is as diligent about his craft as anyone I've been around. I'm really happy for him and the success he's had individually, but it's really helped us as a team," said Dolphins' head coach Brian Flores.

"What people don't realize is the time that Jason spends before we ever even get on the field, both from a mental and a physical standpoint, and making sure that when we go onto the field, that he's ready to perform at a high level. And he performs and executes in practice. We call them mini-games. So every time your opportunities come up, whether it be in practice and/or a game, as a specialist, there's not a lot of outside influences as there are with some other positions," said special teams coordinator Danny Crossman.