NFL Long Snapper Job Description

An NFL Long Snapper has one job that the box score almost never mentions: firing the ball back to the holder or punter on time, on target and with the right spin, every single time. When he does it, nobody notices. When he misses, the field goal unit or the punt team is suddenly scrambling, and the snapper's name is the first one the special teams coordinator writes down.

Two different snaps. The field goal snap and the punt snap use the same motion but different targets. Thomas Hennessy, then the New York Jets' snapper, explained to the Associated Press in August 2024 that the holder on a field goal is 8 yards away and the target is maybe a foot or two above the ground, so the snap travels lower. On a punt the target is the punter's belt line, approximately 14 yards deep. Hennessy put the ideal punt snap at 0.65 to 0.75 seconds and said field goals are timed as a whole operation from snap to kick, with an ideal time of about 1.3 seconds.

Spin and laces. On field goals the snapper is also trying to deliver the ball so the holder can catch it and set it down with the laces facing the uprights, what Hennessy called "12 o'clock laces." That means controlling the number of rotations on the ball so the holder does not have to spin it, which in turn buys the kicker a clean contact point. Weather changes how the ball comes off the hand, so a snapper adjusts in warmups for rain, cold and wind before the opening kickoff.

After the snap. Releasing the ball is only the first half of the play. On field goals the snapper becomes the center of the protection and has to absorb interior rushers while his head is still coming up. NBC News reported in September 2025 that college rules keep defenders from immediately rushing the snapper, a protection that disappears in the NFL. On punts the snapper releases downfield into coverage, and clubs notice the ones who can tackle: when the Jacksonville Jaguars extended Ross Matiscik in June 2026, the team noted that his 22 special teams tackles since entering the league were tied for the most in the NFL at his position.

The weekly rhythm. The specialists spend much of practice with each other. NBC News described special teams players working together on a separate field away from the rest of the team, which is where the snapper, holder and kicker build the timing that makes a field goal look routine. Game day itself is mostly waiting. The snapper may stand on the sideline for long stretches, then run on for a long field goal attempt with the game on the line, so staying loose and focused between series is part of the job description.

Where he fits. The long snapper answers to the special teams coordinator and works daily with the kicker, punter and holder. Some clubs also ask him to run designed fakes, snapping directly to an upback when the coaches see a weakness in the opponent's punt return look. Through all of it the standard does not move: the same snap in practice, in preseason and in a playoff game.

There is no degree, license or certification for this job. An NFL Long Snapper earns a roster spot by snapping well enough, often enough, that a special teams coordinator trusts him with every kicking play of the season. The path below is typical guidance, not a rule.

College football. As a rough guide, a player reaches the NFL after several seasons as his college team's snapper, where coaches can see hundreds of live snaps on film. College snapping is a useful audition, but the protection side of the job gets harder at the next level. A prospect who has also played tight end, linebacker or another position brings blocking and tackling habits that carry over to protection and coverage.

The undrafted route. The draft is not the only way in. Ross Matiscik signed with Jacksonville as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Baylor in 2020, according to the Associated Press. Pro days, rookie minicamp tryouts and workouts during the season are where unsigned snappers get looked at, and a single clean workout can turn into a contract when a club's starter is hurt or struggling.

Leagues that keep a career alive. The United Football League is one place snappers keep playing between NFL chances. The UFL's alumni roundup for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season counted 44 former UFL players on NFL active rosters or practice squads, and 6 of them were long snappers.

What clubs test. Coordinators watch for the details that decide close games:

• Snap speed and a consistent line to the punter's waist
• Ball placement and spin that let the holder find the laces without adjusting
• Enough size and strength to hold the middle of field goal protection
• Speed and tackling in punt coverage
• The same mechanics in rain, wind and cold

The mental side. A snapper has to perform on demand after long idle stretches. Morgan Cox, then snapping for the Tennessee Titans, told NBC News in 2025 that "coaches sleep better at night when they have a good long snapper," and that attitude describes the standard: reliability is the qualification. NBC News put the margin plainly in the same report: one bad snap won't derail a career, but multiple in a single season could.

Working relationships. The snapper, holder and kicker operate as a unit, so communication matters as much as raw arm strength. Good snappers talk through preferences with the holder and punter, review their own film, and keep notes on what changed when a snap drifted.

The NFL Long Snapper job is about as small and fixed as an occupation gets. Each of the league's 32 clubs carries one, a point Hennessy made himself when he told the Associated Press that "the 32 snappers across the league are so good that you expect every snap to be perfect." Openings come from injuries, retirements and the occasional release after poor play, not from growth in the number of jobs.

Long tenures. Once a snapper wins a job, he tends to keep it. NBC News reported in September 2025 that while the average NFL career lasts under four seasons, long snappers tend to last 7 1/2, and that the position group is the league's oldest, with an average age of 31, nearly three years older than the next closest group. The same report noted that Washington released Camaron Cheeseman after multiple errant snaps, a reminder that the security holds only as long as the snaps stay clean.

Pay in 2026. The market at the top moved this year. The Associated Press reported on June 17, 2026 that Ross Matiscik signed a two-year, $3.8 million extension with the Jaguars, making him the NFL's highest-paid long snapper; his previous contract had been set to pay him $1.2 million in 2026. Matiscik has earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors in each of the past three seasons, according to the AP. ESPN's pay tracker, updated September 8, 2026, ranks Reid Ferguson first in three-year average per year at $1.7 million, followed by Luke Rhodes at $1.67 million and Nick Moore at $1.66 million, and lists Joe Cardona's deal, signed in March 2026, as the largest total guarantee at the position at $3.4 million. ESPN ranks by three-year average per year and does not list Matiscik in its top three; the AP report gives no per-year figure for his deal. At the other end, the collective bargaining agreement sets the 2026 minimum for a player with no credited seasons at $885,000.

How BLS sees it. Federal wage data does not isolate NFL players. For the broad Athletes and Sports Competitors occupation in the Spectator Sports industry, BLS reported a May 2025 median of $72,040 and a 90th percentile of $766,930, figures that cover athletes in every sport and level, well beyond the NFL.

The floor keeps rising. The minimum salary table in Article 26 of the collective bargaining agreement runs through 2030 and climbs each year and with each credited season. In 2026 a player with one credited season has a minimum of $1,005,000, and starting in 2027 the minimum for a player with no credited seasons is $930,000. For a snapper with no credited seasons, that table sets the floor on his pay.

Who does the hiring. Decisions on snappers run through the special teams coordinator, the head coach and the personnel department. Clubs can sign or elevate a snapper during the season, and the UFL reported in September 2026 that the Denver Broncos had elevated former UFL snapper Mitchell Fraboni, so unsigned snappers keep training and stay ready for a call.

After playing. Retired snappers can stay close to the kicking game through coaching, private instruction or camps; no source tracks how many make that move.

Dear Special Teams Coordinator,

I am writing to ask for a workout as an NFL Long Snapper with your club. I finished my eligibility at Granite Ridge University this season after four years as the starting snapper on field goals, extra points and punts, and I have spent every week since then training with the same holder and punter I worked with in school.

My approach to the job is simple: the snap your kicker gets on a Thursday walkthrough should be the snap he gets on the last play of a tie game. I chart every rep I take, including time, placement and spin, and I review that log with my snapping coach each week. When something drifts, I want to find it on a practice field, not on Sunday.

I also take the second half of the play seriously. In college I was the center of our field goal protection, and I held the middle against some strong interior rushers. On punts I released into coverage on every snap and took pride in getting down the field fast enough to make the returner change direction. I understand that in your league defenders come straight at the snapper, and I have spent this offseason in the weight room adding strength for exactly that reason.

I have snapped in rain, wind and cold, and I adjust my grip and tempo in warmups rather than hoping conditions cooperate. I am comfortable with fake punts and direct snaps to an upback, and I will learn your calls and operation timing as quickly as your staff wants.

I would welcome a tryout, a rookie minicamp invitation or a spot in training camp competition. My film, my snap log and references from my college coordinator are available whenever you would like them.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Caleb Morrow