Zane Gonzalez

Career StatsD+

Year	Team	GP	FG%
Career		44	81.0%
2025		9	86.4%
2024		6	71.4%
2023		1	0.0%
2022		3	100.0%
2021

Season	Team	GP	Grade
2025		9	C C Around average
2024		6	F F Bottom 5%
2021		12	B+ B+ Top 20%
2020		12	F F Bottom 5%
2019		16	B- B- Top 38%
2018		7	F F Bottom 5%
2017		16	F F Bottom 5%

Grades reflect the player's performance in each season. Header grade shows the current season.

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Zane Gonzalez delivered the kind of production that earns a C Contract Value Index relative to the PK pay band. At $1.49M AAV on a one-year deal, the contract sits squarely in the middle tier for veteran kickers — enough to compensate for experience and NFL credibility without demanding the premium reserved for top-tier leg talent. His 2025 season saw him appear in nine games, production that aligns with the D+ performance grade reflecting solid but unspectacular execution; his career accuracy trailing the modern elite standard leaves little room for argument that this is a below-replacement-level contract disguised as a steal. At 31 years old with nine seasons of professional experience, Gonzalez brings exactly what Miami needed at this phase of the offseason — a proven body filling a roster gap — but the Dolphins' own reluctance to commit beyond one year signals they view this as a placeholder rather than a solution. The media framing nails the reality: serviceable depth addition, minimal enthusiasm, routine replacement signing. With the regular season 91 days away and Miami sitting at 7-10 and outside the playoff picture, this transaction does what it's designed to do without creating upside; the CVI grade of C reflects that pedestrian equilibrium between cost and contribution.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Zane's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

How Zane Gonzalez plays at PK earns him a D+ performance grade. At 31 years old with nine seasons of NFL experience, Gonzalez occupies the replacement-level tier among kickers — a veteran presence that carries legitimate credentials but delivers below the standard modern offenses require at the position. The 2025 season saw him appear in nine games, a limited snap count that reflects both opportunity scarcity and the underlying concerns Miami's roster decisions signal about his reliability. His career accuracy sitting around 84% is the fundamental issue: it trails the elite kickers have established in contemporary football, and that gap between serviceable and solution-oriented is precisely why the Dolphins framed this as a post-Sanders replacement rather than a long-term commitment. The one-year deal and the near-universal media characterization as a "practical depth addition" rather than an upgrade confirm that Miami itself views Gonzalez as a placeholder — someone who quiets a positional concern without solving it. At this stage of his career, Gonzalez offers NFL durability and experience, but his production ceiling is capped by accuracy limitations that prevent him from being a plus asset in close games or high-leverage situations. This is a Band-Aid signing on a special teams unit still being assembled during the offseason.

How Zane Compares at the Position

Zane Gonzalez ranks 27th of 39 graded pks by performance. That slots Zane between Jake Bates (C-) just ahead and Jake Elliott (D+) just behind.

Fan Sentiment

The talk around Zane Gonzalez this stretch nets a C+ sentiment grade. Media coverage has treated his signing to Miami as a routine, albeit necessary, special teams acquisition—positioning him squarely as a post-Sanders replacement rather than an upgrade, with outlets consistently labeling him a "serviceable veteran" rather than a solution. This lukewarm narrative aligns with his D+ performance grade; his career accuracy hovering in the low-to-mid 80s percentile trails the modern elite-kicker standard, and fans are reasonably asking why the Dolphins landed in essentially the same tier after parting ways with their incumbent. At 31 years old with nine seasons of NFL experience, Gonzalez brings legitimacy to the role, and the one-year deal signals Miami's pragmatic approach to plugging a roster hole during an offseason also marked by signings across center, cornerback, tight end, and linebacker—a broad-based roster assembly that suggests the Dolphins view this as a rebuild-adjacent moment. The narrative is neither hostile nor optimistic; it's a quiet, shoulder-shrug acceptance that the team has quieted a concern without truly solving one, leaving fans to monitor training camp competition to see if Gonzalez can outplay that modest billing.