Mar 21, 2008 5:30 pm US/Mountain
Jason Elam Won't Be A Bronco Next Season
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DENVER (CBS4) ―
Long-time Broncos kicker Jason Elam has signed a 4 year, $9 million contract to play with the Atlanta Falcons. The contract includes $3.3 million in guaranteed money.
Elam, who has been making long kicks as a Bronco for 15 years, was a free agent after the 2007 season. He holds the NFL records for:
-- Most points scored by a player for one team
-- Most consecutive extra points
-- The kicker fastest to 300 field goals
-- Tied with Tom Dempsey for the longest field goal (63 yards in 1993 vs. Jacksonville)
Elam had been the Broncos kicker since 1993, but he's coming home in a sense. He played high school football in suburban Atlanta.
Elam has hit 12 game-winning field goals in his career, including four in the 2007 season. In November the Broncos kicker spoke with CBS4's Jim Benemann both about dealing with the pressure of kicking when the game is on the line and life at home.
Elam said his time at home with his wife Tammy and their four children keeps him grounded, which helps him deal with the butterflies when the game is on the line.
"You just go out there and give it everything you've got," Elam said. "That doesn't mean it doesn't sting or doesn't hurt when things don't go well, because I have a lot of pride in my job, but it is a lot of fun to come home to your family (after a win)."
Elam has faced dozens of pressure situations throughout his career. In one of the many examples -- the 2007 opener in Buffalo -- the field goal team raced onto the field in the final seconds and Elam won the game with his kick.
"After I kicked I looked up, the whole team is sprinting out to me," Elam said. "It was like a college atmosphere. It was awesome. I had a great time doing that."
Before the last game of the 2007 season Elam had said he couldn't picture himself in another uniform besides Denver's, but just in case he requested a few extra tickets. His family usually watches on TV but they were all there to see him beat Minnesota 22-19 with a 30-yard field goal in overtime. That included 5-year-old daughter Julianna, who had never seen him play.
"They got to see daddy kick a last-minute field goal," said Elam.
Elam recently published a novel, "Monday Night Jihad," which combines football and what he calls the central conflicts between Christianity and Islamist radicals.
"I tried to bring out a lot of stuff that the fans don't get to see every day, a lot of the inside-the-locker room stuff, things that happen off the field, things that happen here during practice, just the camaraderie side of things," Elam said. "The things the typical fan isn't going to see."
Matt Prater would get the first shot at replacing Elam in Denver. He handled kickoff duties in the Broncos' last two games after being waived by Miami and Atlanta last season.
More Facts About Elam
- Elam has reached 100 points in each of his 15 seasons and ranks fifth on the career list with 395 field goals and sixth in points with 1,786.
- He finished last season with 15 consecutive field goals.
- Four game-winners in a season (2007) was the most in the NFL since 1990.
- Elam surpassed John Elway for most games in Broncos history last season.
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(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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