If a casual NFL fan knows the name of their team’s long snapper, there’s a problem. The position is supposed to be incognito. Run out on field goals, extra points and punts and deliver the ball in a way that allows the guy with the big leg to do his thing.
It’s not an unskilled position, though. As anyone who has ever made the attempt to thrust a ball backwards through their legs knows, accuracy at long distances is not easy to accomplish. It takes a lot of practice, and from there the long snapper has to quickly get his head up and take on rushers who are thirsting for their moments of glory, to knife in and make the play of the game by blocking the attempt. So when teams find a good long snapper, they tend to stick with them, keeping them from the open market. That’s what the Dallas Cowboys have done with Trent Sieg, who evened out a rocky period for the club to stabilize the position.
Rundown
Position: Long Snapper
Age: 30
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 240 pounds
Hometown: Eaton, CO
High School: Eaton
College: Colorado State (Film Study Video)
Draft: 2018 Undrafted Free Agent
Acquired: 2023 Street FA
Contract: Three-year contract (2025), $4.45 million
2025 Base Salary: $1.255 million, fully guaranteed
Career Earnings: $7.4 million (per Over The Cap)
Profile
The long snapper becomes an integral part in the careers of punters and kickers. Sieg got his first NFL game experience with the Raiders when they were still in Oakland. He helped then rookie AJ Cole set numerous franchise records for accuracy and points, and would probably still be there if special teams coordinators didn’t play favorites and bring in their guys.
The Raiders loss has been the Cowboys’ gain, as he’s settled the position after LP Ladouceur’s 16-year run ended in 2020. He survived the change in special teams coordinator this past offseason as Jim “Bones” Fassel left the club along with head coach Mike McCarthy, but import Nick Sorensen didn’t bring in his own guys with him, at least not yet.
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