Edward Shane Lechler (; born August 7, 1976) is an American former professional football player who played as a punter for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL draft. Lechler also played for the Houston Texans.
Regarded as one of the greatest punters in NFL history, Lechler was named an All-Pro nine times during his career, and made seven Pro Bowls. He led the league in punting average five times and was the NFL's all-time leader in career punting average for nearly two decades. Lechler was one of two punters named to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, along with Hall of Famer Ray Guy.
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Early life
Lechler attended East Bernard High School in East Bernard, Texas, and was a standout in football, basketball, golf, and baseball. As a quarterback, punter, and placekicker, Lechler led East Bernard to the state quarterfinals during his senior year, completing 87 of 101 (86.1%) passes for 1,640 yards and 11 touchdowns. In his high school career, Lechler passed for nearly 5,000 yards and averaged 41.6 yards per punt. His longest punt in high school was 85 yards.
College career
Lechler attended Texas A&M University and played for the Aggies football team from 1996 to 1999. A versatile player, he was not only the Aggies' punter but also kicked off, was the long field goal kicker, served as the holder for short field goals and PATs, and was the emergency quarterback. As a junior, he completed a 29-yard pass on a fake punt against Baylor and threw a touchdown pass to Dan Campbell on a fake field goal in a hard-fought 17–10 win against Texas Tech.
When injuries depleted the depth chart, Lechler served as the backup quarterback for the 1998 Big 12 championship game. At one point in the game, the Aggies' last healthy quarterback, Branndon Stewart, appeared shaken and a nervous-looking Lechler threw warmup passes on the sideline. Stewart was able to stay in the game, however, and led the Aggies to a 36–33 victory over Kansas State, earning the Aggies their only Big 12 Championship. Because of his contributions in so many facets of the game, coach R. C. Slocum called Lechler "the team's most valuable player."
Lechler started his career off strong at Texas A&M, earning Freshman All-America honors in 1996 with a punting average of 42.7 yards. After his sophomore season, Lechler was named to the All-Big 12 team after breaking the Aggie single-season record with an average of 47.0 yards per punt. He was named to The Sporting News All-America team as a junior in 1998, and was also an Associated Press first team All-American honors as a senior in 1999, a year where his 46.5 yards per punt is second in the record books only to his own sophomore record of 47.0. Lechler is the NCAA record holder for career punt average with a mark of 44.7 yards per punt.
Lechler had only one punt blocked, against Ohio State in the 1999 Sugar Bowl.
Professional career
Oakland Raiders
Lechler was selected in the fifth round (142nd overall) of the 2000 NFL draft. He was the only punter selected that year.
On September 3, 2000, in the season opener against the San Diego Chargers, Lechler made his NFL debut and had a season-high 10 punts for a season-high 424 yards (42.4 average) as the Raiders won 9–6. During a Week 10 49–31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, he converted all seven extra-point attempts. Two weeks later against the New Orleans Saints, Lechler had four punts for 219 yards for a season-high 54.75 average in the 31–22 road victory.
Lechler finished his rookie year with 65 punts for 2,984 yards for a 45.91 average. The Raiders finished atop the AFC West with a 12–4 record and qualified for the playoffs. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team and earned First Team All-Pro honors. Lechler made his playoff debut in the Divisional Round against the Miami Dolphins and finished the 27–0 shutout victory with five punts for 234 yards (46.8 average). During the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, Lechler had seven punts for 315 yards (45.00 average) in the 16–3 loss.
During the season-opening 27–24 loss to the Chiefs, Lechler had four punts for 185 yards (46.25 average) in the 27–24 road victory. Two weeks later against the Dolphins, he recorded a season-high seven punts for a season-high 345 yards for a 49.29 average in the 18–15 road loss. Three weeks later against the Indianapolis Colts, Lechler had five punts for 262 yards for a season-high 52.4 average in the 23–18 road victory. He earned his first Pro Bowl nomination.
Lechler finished his second professional season with 73 punts for 3,375 yards for a 46.23 average. The Raiders finished atop the AFC West for the second consecutive season with a 10–6 record and made the playoffs, but their season ended in a 16–13 road loss to the New England Patriots during the Divisional Round.
Lechler's third professional season saw the Raiders have a lot of success. During a Week 4 52–25 victory over the Tennessee Titans, he punted thrice for 134 yards and a 44.67 average in his season debut. In the next game against the Buffalo Bills, Lechler had five punts for a season-high 250 yards for a 50.00 average during the 49–31 road victory. During a Week 16 28–16 victory over the Denver Broncos, he had a season-high six punts for 244 yards for a 40.67 average. Overall, in the regular season, Lechler totaled 53 punts for 2,251 yards for a 42.47 average.
Houston Texans
On March 23, 2013, Lechler signed a three-year, $5.5 million deal with a $1 million signing bonus with the Houston Texans.
During the season-opening 31–28 comeback road victory over the Chargers on Monday Night Football, Lechler punted thrice for 135 yards for a 45.00 average in his Texans debut. During a Week 10 27–24 road loss to the Arizona Cardinals, he became just the sixth player in NFL history to reach the 50,000 punt-yard mark during his second punt of the game. In the next game against his former team, the Oakland Raiders, Lechler had a season-high nine punts for 442 yards for a 49.11 average during the 28–23 loss.
Lechler finished the 2013 season with 88 punts for 4,189 yards for a 47.60 average as the Texans struggled to a 2–14 record.
During the season-opening 17–6 victory over the Washington Redskins, Lechler recorded six punts for 306 yards for a 51.00 average. During a Week 6 33–28 loss to the Colts on Thursday Night Football, he had four punts for 218 yards for a season-high 54.5 average. During a Week 15 17–10 road loss to the Colts, third-string quarterback Tom Savage was injured with under two minutes left and Houston down by seven, needing a touchdown to tie the game. All of their other quarterbacks were injured, and Lechler, a former high school quarterback, began to warm up. Houston called a timeout after the injury and Savage stayed in the game, throwing an interception on the very next play. Lechler never entered the game as a quarterback. In the next game against the Baltimore Ravens, he had a season-high eight punts for a season-high 361 yards for a 45.13 average during the 25–13 victory.
Lechler finished the 2014 season with 83 punts for 3,845 yards for a 46.33 average as the Texans finished with a 9–7 record and missed out on the playoffs.
During the season-opening 27–20 loss to the Chiefs, Lechler had seven punts for 329 yards for a 47.00 average. During a Week 11 24–17 victory over the Jets, he recorded eight punts for a season-high 417 yards for a 52.13 average.
Lechler finished the 2015 season with 95 punts for 4,497 yards for a 47.34 average. The Texans finished the 2015 season atop the AFC South with a 9–7 record and qualified for the playoffs. In his first playoff game since the 2002 season, Lechler had five punts for 228 yards (45.60 average) during the 30–0 shoutout loss to the Chiefs in the Wild Card Round.
Retirement
After sitting out of the league for the entire 2018 season, Lechler officially announced his retirement on March 30, 2019. He was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2010s and the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
Records
Lechler booted at least one punt of 50 yards or more in 33 consecutive games from Week 13 of 2003 through Week 14 of 2005, the longest streak by any player since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler, in 2001, 2004 and 2007–2011, and was voted All-Pro nine times (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007–2011), with six of those being a 1st team selection. No other punter has been named a First-team All-pro more than Lechler. He held the NFL record in career average yards per punt for two decades starting in 2003, including his 47.6-yard average at retirement, and was not beaten until 2023 by Michael Dickson and AJ Cole. Lechler has the five best single-season punting averages in Raiders history, including a career-best 51.1 in 2009, the third-highest single-season average in league history (to Sammy Baugh's 51.4 in 1940 and Ryan Stonehouse's 53.1 in 2022).
Career statistics
Personal life
Lechler is married to Erin Gibson, who was an All-American volleyball player at Texas A&M. He comes from an athletic family: both of his parents participated in Baylor athletics, and his brother Derek was a punter for Texas A&M. Lechler has said that he is good friends with former teammate and All-Pro defensive end J. J. Watt.
