With kicker Tyler Bass on injured reserve with a left hip and groin injury, the Buffalo Bills needed to make a corresponding move to ensure their special teams unit remained whole.
Buffalo responded by bringing in one of the most accomplished specialists in the league, signing Matt Prater to the practice squad with the intention of elevating him to the active 53-man roster to open the season.
Prater, 41, is entering his 19th NFL season and made his first career field goal in 2007. The UCF product earned All-Pro honors in 2013, was selected to two Pro Bowls, and owns one of the most impressive NFL records for a kicker. Upon joining the Bills for Week 1 of the 2025 season, he proceeded to knock down a massive game-winning kick against the Ravens.
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Here is more to know about Prater.
MORE: How the Bills completed a huge comeback vs. Ravens in Week 1
Who is the Bills kicker?
The Bills signed Prater to the practice squad ahead of Week 1 and elevated him before facing the Ravens to open the season.
At 41, Prater is in line to be the second-oldest player to take the field in the 2025 NFL season. He went undrafted in 2006 and made his NFL debut during the 2007 season, accumulating 18 years of NFL service since then.
He played collegiately at UCF from 2002-05, finishing his career on a team that featured Brandon Marshall.
In Prater's first regular season game with the Bills in Week 1 of the 2025 campaign, he nailed the field goal that completed Buffalo's 15-point comeback.
MATT PRATER FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 8, 2025
📺: @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/ji3thHCg28
20-year vet Matt Prater signed with the Bills three days ago.
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2025
Now he's hugging Josh Allen as the game's hero.
Gotta love football. pic.twitter.com/j2P9Li3Izl
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How many NFL teams has Matt Prater played for?
Prater has kicked for four NFL teams prior to his Bills debut on "Sunday Night Football."
He spent his first NFL season with the Falcons and Broncos in 2007, sticking with Denver through 2013. After his stint in the Mile High City, Prater spent seven seasons with the Lions and the past four seasons with the Cardinals.
Prater's last NFL appearance came in Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season.
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Matt Prater NFL stats
Prater has made 407 of 487 (83.6%) of his field goal attempts and 587 of 603 (97.3%) of the extra-point attempts in the first 18 seasons of his career. He holds the NFL record for most 50-plus-yard field goals made with 81.
| Range (Yds) | FGM-FGA | FG% |
| FG total | 407-487 | 83.6 |
| XP total | 587-603 | 97.3 |
| 0-19 | 5-5 | 100.0 |
| 20-29 | 107-110 | 97.3 |
| 30-39 | 118-129 | 91.5 |
| 40-49 | 96-135 | 71.1 |
| 50+ | 81-108 | 75.0 |
MORE: The NFL's oldest players in 2025
Oldest players in the NFL 2025
Prater is one of four NFL players on active rosters who are 40 or older. Here's a complete look at the 10 oldest active players in the league:
| Player | Team | Age (DOB) | Position |
| Aaron Rodgers | Steelers | 41 (12/2/1983) | QB |
| Matt Prater | Bills | 41 (8/10/1984) | K |
| Nick Folk | Jets | 40 (11/5/1984) | K |
| Joe Flacco | Browns | 40 (1/16/1985) | QB |
| J.J. Jansen | Panthers | 39 (1/20/1986) | LS |
| Jon Weeks | 49ers | 39 (2/17/1986) | LS |
| Thomas Morstead | 49ers | 39 (3/8/1986) | P |
| Morgan Cox | Titans | 39 (4/26/1986) | LS |
| Josh Johnson | Commanders | 39 (5/15/1986) | QB |
| Calais Campbell | Cardinals | 39 (9/1/1986) | DE |