While the Minnesota Vikings came up short in their bid to reach the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008-09, they did at least finish their 2025 campaign on a high note, winning their final five games to finish the year at a respectable 9-8.
The best player for the Vikes during that final stretch—and arguably throughout the entire season—was second-year kicker Will Reichard, who went a perfect 12-for-12 on field goals in Weeks 14 to 18, three of which went for 50 yards or more, and also connected on all 12 of his extra-point attempts.
For his efforts, Reichard, who turns 25 on Friday, was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December/January on Thursday, thus becoming just the seventh player in Vikings history to earn the honor and the first in more than a dozen years.
Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard finishes 2025 season with NFC Player of the Month award
Overall, there have been nine instances in which a Minnesota player has been named Special Teams Player of the Month, as punter Mitch Berger won the award on three separate occasions.
- Fuad Reveiz, K, December 1994
- Mitch Berger, P, November 1998
- Mitch Berger, P, September 1999
- Mitch Berger, P, December 2000
- Chris Kluwe, P, September 2005
- Percy Harvin, KR, September 2012
- Blair Walsh, K, December 2012
- Cordarrellle Patterson, KR, September 2013
- Will Reichard, K, December 2025/January 2026
Reichard, who was taken in the sixth round of the 2024 draft with the 203rd overall pick, has proven to be one of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's best selections in his four-year run as Minnesota's general manager.
After a solid rookie campaign in which he hit 24 of 30 field goals (five of his six misses were from 40 yards or longer) and all 38 of his extra-point attempts, the Alabama alum was one of the best kickers in the entire league during the 2025 season and has a legitimate case to be an All-Pro selection.
In addition to once again being perfect on PATs, hitting all 31 of his attempts, Reichard also connected on 31 of 33 field goal tries, including a franchise-record 62-yarder in the Vikings' Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He also became the first player in NFL history with four field goals of 59 yards or longer in a single season.
His only two misses of the season were a 51-yarder against the Cleveland Browns in London in Week 5 and a 53-yarder against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8. And let's not forget that miss against the Browns shouldn't have counted, as his kick clearly hit one of the TV production wires hanging over the field. Unfortunately, he wasn't given a re-kick, thus ending his perfect season.
Taking every single kick into account, Reichard's make percentage in 2025 was 97.0 percent. The only kicker who was better was Nick Folk of the New York Jets, who made 98.0 percent of his attempts, converting all 22 extra points and 28 of 29 field goals.
So, again, in addition to this Special Teams Player of the Month award, Reichard could soon add an All-Pro selection to his resume.