Braden Mann Bio
Braden Mann (born November 24, 1997) is an American professional football punter for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and listed at 198 pounds, he has built a reputation for outstanding leg strength, accuracy, and dependable ball placement inside the 20-yard line. After starring at Texas A&M, where he rewrote several NCAA Division I punting records, Mann was selected by the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL Draft. He later joined the Pittsburgh Steelers briefly before settling in Philadelphia, where he won Super Bowl LIX with the Eagles.
Early Life and Background
Braden Mann was born in Houston, Texas, and grew up in the nearby community of Cypress. He attended Cy-Fair High School, where he played both kicker and punter under head coach Ed Pustejovsky, a former Texas A&M football player. During his high school career, Mann showed steady progression, including a strong senior season in which he connected on 25 of 25 extra points and posted a 45-yard punting average across 41 punts. His performance earned him a place on the 2014 Houston Chronicle All-Greater Houston team and an invitation to the Under Armour All-America Game.
Although Mann wanted to play linebacker as a teenager, his size and a series of injuries pushed him toward the kicking game, where his talent quickly stood out. As a recruit, Rivals.com rated him as the number two kicker in the nation, while 247Sports.com listed him as the number five kicker. He ultimately committed to Texas A&M, choosing the program that had shaped his high school coach and offered a clear path to develop his specialty.
Path to American Football
At Texas A&M, Mann began his career as a kickoff specialist during his first two seasons. As a freshman, he averaged 63.9 yards on 76 kickoffs, and as a sophomore, he averaged 62.4 yards on 73 kickoffs, while seeing only limited punting work. The transition to full-time punter came in 2018 after veteran Shane Tripucka graduated, giving Mann an opportunity to showcase the leg that had made him one of the top kicking recruits in the country.
That opportunity came in a major way during a 2018 matchup with Alabama, when Mann broke the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision single-game record with a 60.8 punting average. He followed that performance with an 82-yard punt against Kentucky, the third-longest in Texas A&M history. By the end of his junior year, he had set the NCAA FBS single-season record for punts of 60 or more yards and the single-season punting average record of 50.98 yards per punt, numbers that cemented his status as the top punting prospect in the country.
Braden Mann Career
Early Career (2020–2022)
Mann entered the NFL as a sixth-round selection, taken 191st overall by the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL Draft. He quickly established himself as a difference-maker, highlighted by a game-saving open-field tackle on punt returner Nsimba Webster in a 23–20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. His 3,598 punting yards that season led the league and made him the 2020 NFL punting yards leader, even as the Jets finished 2–14. He also averaged 43.9 yards per punt, signaling that his college production could translate to the professional level.
Injuries interrupted his 2021 campaign, with Mann landing on injured reserve in September before being activated in November. He returned with a strong 2022, when he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after a 31–30 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 2. In that game he landed two punts inside the 20, completed a 17-yard pass, and executed a successful onside kick. The Jets waived him on April 13, 2023, ending his first NFL chapter.
New York Jets Era (2020–2022)
Drafted in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Mann was immediately installed as the Jets’ starting punter and quickly proved his value. Beyond his punting statistics, he earned praise for his willingness to make tackles in the open field, demonstrating a physical edge uncommon for the position. The Jets’ struggles as a team prevented any postseason opportunities, but his individual performance earned him league-wide recognition as a punting yards leader.
Philadelphia Eagles Era (2023–Present)
After a brief stop with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who claimed him off waivers on April 17, 2023, and waived him on August 30 of the same year, Mann joined the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad on September 18, 2023. He was promoted to the active roster on October 12 and made an immediate impact, including a 28-yard completion on a fake punt to Olamide Zaccheaus in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys. On March 12, 2024, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Eagles, solidifying his long-term role in Philadelphia.
Mann’s career reached its highest point on February 9, 2025, when the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40–22 in Super Bowl LIX. He punted twice in the victory and earned his first Super Bowl championship ring. He added NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after a Week 13 win over the Baltimore Ravens in 2024, continuing his steady play under the bright lights of the NFC East. On March 13, 2026, he signed a four-year, $14 million contract extension, further cementing his status with the franchise.
Driving Style and Strengths
Braden Mann is known for his booming leg and exceptional ball placement, routinely ranking among the league’s best in punts landed inside the 20-yard line. His ability to flip the field, combined with a willingness to make tackles and execute fakes, makes him a complete special teams contributor. The strong partnership with the Eagles’ special teams coaching staff has allowed him to refine his directional punting and his booming kickoffs.
Notable Events and Milestones
Signature moments in Mann’s career include his 60.8-yard average against Alabama, his 82-yard punt against Kentucky, and his game-saving tackle of Nsimba Webster as a Jet. He is a Super Bowl LIX champion and an NFL punting yards leader, and he holds the NCAA FBS single-season punting average record at 50.98 yards per punt. His 60-plus-yard punts in 2018 also set a new NCAA FBS single-season record, underscoring his place among the most prolific college punters in history.
Braden Mann Career Wins
Through the 2025 season, Braden Mann has compiled 376 punts for 17,776 yards across his NFL career, with a 47.3-yard punting average and a long of 72 yards. He has placed 115 punts inside the 20-yard line while suiting up for the New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles. His lone Super Bowl ring came with the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
NFL Highlights
As a rookie in 2020, Mann led the league in punting yards with 3,598, signaling his immediate professional impact. He added an AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in 2022 and an NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in 2024. His crowning moment came in Super Bowl LIX, where the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 40–22 to give Mann his first championship.
Other Wins & Performances
Beyond the NFL, Mann earned consensus All-America recognition, the Ray Guy Award, SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, and two First-team All-SEC selections during his standout tenure with the Texas A&M Aggies. He set three NCAA FBS records during his junior year, the most memorable being the single-season punting average record of 50.98 yards per punt.
| Team | Years | Punts | Yards | Average | Long | Inside 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Jets | 2020–2022 | Stats available only at league level | ||||
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2023 | Stats available only at league level | ||||
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2023–present | Stats available only at league level | ||||
| Career Total | 2020–2025 | 376 | 17,776 | 47.3 | 72 | 115 |
Braden Mann Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public details about Braden Mann’s parents and siblings are not widely documented. He was raised in the Cypress area of Texas and has credited his high school coach, Ed Pustejovsky, as a formative figure in his development as both a kicker and punter.
Personal Life
Braden Mann has kept his personal life largely private, with no public details regarding a spouse or children available. He has spent the bulk of his professional career based in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, aligning with the locations of the Jets and Eagles.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 campaign marked Braden Mann’s third full season with the Philadelphia Eagles and his second as the team’s clear-cut starting punter. Coming off a Super Bowl LIX victory, he continued to deliver consistent field-flipping performances, particularly in tight divisional matchups where field position proved decisive. His work as a kickoff specialist also complemented the Eagles’ aggressive coverage units.
Midseason form suggested another strong year, with Mann once again trending toward elite marks in punts inside the 20-yard line and average distance. He also remained a trusted option on fake punts and short-yardage situations, mirroring his 28-yard completion against Dallas. The Eagles remained squarely in the NFC playoff picture, and Mann’s steady leg was a quiet but important factor in their success.
Looking ahead, Mann signed a four-year, $14 million contract extension on March 13, 2026, locking him in as the Eagles’ punter of the present and future. With the contract set to run through the 2026 season and a new extension taking him further into the decade, his outlook in Philadelphia is firmly secure. He enters the next chapter as a Super Bowl champion with his prime years still ahead.