CINCINNATI -- October 12,2014 was one of the longest nights of Mike Nugent's professional career after he missed a kick at the end of overtime that would have won a game for the Bengals. Nugent's personal life suffered the loss of his father on December 8.
How Nugent dealt with both situations is all you need to know about why the 33-year-old Centerville native is going to continue kicking for the Bengals the next two seasons.
What NFL.com first reported on Sunday the Bengals made official on Monday when they announced the re-signing of Nugent.
Nugent has spent the last five seasons with the Bengals and made 26 of 33 field goal attempts last season. His 117 points were the second-highest total he's produced in 10 seasons since the New York Jets chose him in the second round of the NFL Draft out of Ohio State in 2005. He added a career-long 57-yard field goal in the playoffs against Indianapolis, the second-longest field goal made in NFL postseason history.
According to NFL.com, Nugent's deal will pay him $2 million a season with $250,000 each season based on incentives. Nugent made $1.3 million last season and had a salary cap number of $1.4 million.
Nugent's re-signing cuts the number of potential unrestricted free agents for the Bengals to 11. Free agency begins Tuesday at 4 p.m. (EST) when the NFL's new calendar year starts. The Bengals re-signed linebacker Rey Maualuga to a three-year deal last Friday. The Bengals would also like to keep left guard Clint Boling off of the market, if possible, before it opens.
The Bengals hosted former Green Bay linebacker A.J. Hawk on Monday, setting up a possible reunion of high school and college teammates. Hawk is also a Centerville High School alum. He was a year behind Nugent, who was Centerville's quarterback in Hawk's junior season. Hawk also played running back besides linebacker for the Elks. The two were also teammates at Ohio State, helping the Buckeyes win the 2002 national title.
There was plenty of reason to think through the first six weeks of last season that the Bengals would be seeking a new kicker in 2015.
Nugent had struggled prior to the Oct. 12 home game against Carolina. While he made his first five field goal attempts of the season, all in the first half of the opener at Baltimore, only three of his next eight attempts split the uprights. Against the Panthers he made kicks of 44 and 38 yards in regulation as the teams ended 60 minutes tied 34-34. His 42-yarder on the opening possession of overtime gave the Bengals a 37-34 lead but under the new overtime rules it wasn't good enough for a win. Carolina got its own field goal on its first possession of OT to tie things up again, 37-37.
The Bengals offense moved into position for the win, reaching the Carolina 18-yard line with two seconds left. Nugent missed badly to the right a 36-yarder that would have given the Bengals a win as time expired.
Nugent didn't run from the postgame aftermath. He met with various waves of reporters and faced the music of his miss.
"I didn't have to look up," said Nugent after that game. "I could've told you it didn't even hit the net. It's probably the worst ball I've ever hit in a game. Ever."
Then he went out and made his next 15 field goal attempts before missing on a 50-yarder at notoriously kicker-hostile Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in the regular season finale.
Nugent's streak of 15 straight made field goals was the third longest streak in Bengals franchise history and included going 3-for-3 at Cleveland on Dec. 14, six days after his father passed away. FirstEnergy Stadium on the shores of Lake Erie is no kicker's paradise, especially in December, but Nugent had no problem making his attempts from 44, 44 and then 34 yards in a 30-0 victory
"I'm excited to have Mike back with us," said special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons in a statement released by the team. "Mike dealt with some tough issues last season, but he finished the year strong, and we're looking for him to pick up where he left off. Also this means we'll have our specialist trio back, with (long snapper) Clark Harris and (punter/holder) Kevin Huber, and keeping the continuity with those guys working as a unit is a big asset for us."
Nugent is now 111-of-135 (82.2 percent) for his career with the Bengals, the second-highest accuracy rate in team history behind Shayne Graham's 86.8 percent from 2003-09. His 111 made field goals is No. 5 on the team's all-time list. He is 10 field goals shy of passing Horst Muhlmann (120) for fourth on the list.
