Elliott was born in Western Springs, Illinois, to Bruce and Diane Elliott.[2] As a youth, he excelled in many sports, including baseball, basketball, and tennis. Elliott was considered among the state's best youth tennis players.[3]
Elliott attended Lyons Township High School in La Grange, Illinois[4] and began playing football when a Lyons assistant coach noticed his talent at a Homecoming student field goal kicking contest. Before this, Elliott played tennis for three years at Lyons Township.[5][4] Following his junior season, Elliott was an ESPNHS underclass and named First-team All-State by the Chicago Tribune.[2] As a junior, he made a 52-yard field goal with no time remaining to beat Oak-Park River Forest High School, 16–14. As a senior, Elliott made 15 of 21 field-goal attempts and was named Second-team kicker for Kohl's All America List.[2] After his senior year, Elliott was offered a full scholarship by the University of North Dakota and the University of Memphis.[6] He chose to play for the Memphis Tigers.[7]
As a freshman, Elliott was named the starting kicker after summer training. In his 2013 season, Elliott connected on 16 of 18 field goals.[2] After his freshman season, he led the Tigers with 72 points scored (24/24 extra points and 16/18 field goals).[10] Elliott set a Memphis record with his 56-yard field goal at USF, breaking the 2005 record of 53 yards set by Stephen Gostkowski.[11] Elliott was named the American Athletic Conference (AAC) Special Teams Player of the Week and also one of three players to be named "Stars of the Week" by Lou Groza Award.[2]
As a sophomore, Elliott led the AAC by averaging 9.2 points per game. For the second year in a row, he was named First-team All-Conference and Conference Special Teams Player of the Year.[12] Elliott scored 120 points during his season, making 21 of 32 field goal attempts and converting all 57 extra-point attempts.[13][2] His 21 successful field goals, 57 extra points, and 120 total points scored led the American Conference.[14] During the 2014 Miami Beach Bowl, Elliott kicked the fourth-longest field goal in bowl game history, a 54-yard attempt that sent the game into a second overtime and led to a 55–48 victory.[12][15]
As a junior, Elliott converted all 63 extra point attempts and 23 of 28 field goal attempts for a team-leading 132 points scored.[16] His 63 extra points and 23 field goals led the conference in the 2015 season.[17]
As a senior, Elliott converted all 58 extra point attempts and 21 of 26 field goal attempts for a team-leading 121 points.[18] His 21 field goals tied him with Tulsa's Redford Jones for the conference lead.[19] In his collegiate career, Elliott converted all 202 extra point attempts and 81 of 104 field goal attempts. At the end of the 2016 season, his successful collegiate career ranked him first in total points, extra points, and field goals while also finishing third in field goal percentage in conference history.[20][21][22][23]
On February 9, 2017, it was announced that Elliott was entering the 2017 NFL draft.[24]
The Cincinnati Bengals selected Elliott in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[27] He was the first of three kickers selected in 2017.[28] Elliott competed with veteran Randy Bullock for the Bengals' kicker spot. On September 2, 2017, the team announced that Bullock had won the job, and waived Elliott.[29] He was re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[30]
On September 12, 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Elliott off the Bengals' practice squad after the Eagles' starting kicker, Caleb Sturgis, was placed on injured reserve.[31] Elliott made his first NFL appearance in Week 2 of the 2017 season against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the game, he converted both extra point attempts and two out of three field goal attempts.[32] The following week at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Elliott kicked a 61-yard field goal to beat the New York Giants on the final play of the game, resulting in a 27–24 victory, earning him National Football Conference (NFC) Special Teams Player of the Week.[33][34][35][36] It was tied for the 7th-longest field goal in NFL history, at the time. It was also the longest field goal in Eagles history, the longest ever kicked in Philadelphia in an NFL game, and the longest ever by an NFL rookie.
During Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Elliott put together a solid performance in converting all four field goal opportunities and both extra point attempts for a season-high 14 points scored.[37] During Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys, he made a tackle during the starting kick return. Elliott would later be pulled out of the game for a head injury and would not return.[38]
The Eagles finished atop the NFC East with a 13–3 record and earned a first-round bye.[39][40] Against the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round, Elliott missed an extra point but converted three field goal attempts in the 15–10 victory.[41] During the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings, he converted all five extra point attempts and one field goal attempt in the 38–7 victory.[42] In Super Bowl LII on February 4, 2018, Elliott missed his first of two extra point attempts, but made all three of his field goal attempts, including a 46-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that helped seal the Eagles' first Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.[43][44]
2018 season
In the 2018 season, Elliott converted 33 of 35 extra point attempts and 26 of 31 field goal attempts.[45] During Week 12 against the Giants, he hit a go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining to be difference in the 25–22 victory.[46] During Week 16 against the Houston Texans, Elliott converted a 35-yard field goal with no time remaining to give the Eagles a narrow 32–30 victory.[47] During the Wild Card Round against the Chicago Bears, he had one extra point and one field goal during the narrow 16–15 road victory.[48] In the Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints, Elliott had two extra points during the 20–14 road loss.[49]
2019 season
During Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, Elliott attempted a pass on a fake field goal attempt that was intercepted by Everson Griffen in the 38–20 loss.[50] On November 27, 2019, Elliott signed a five-year, $21.8 million contract extension with the Eagles through the 2024 season, making him the third-highest paid kicker in the league.[51]
2020 season
In 2020, Elliott had the least productive season of his career, only attempting 19 field goals (converting 73.7%) and 26 extra-points (converting 92.3%).[52] This was in part due to head coach Doug Pederson being more aggressive on 4th downs and 2-point conversions.
2021 season
Elliott kicking a field goal in 2021
During Week 1, Elliott went a perfect 8-for-8 on kicks, four field goals and four extra points, in a 40–29 victory over the Saints, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[53] By the end of the season, he finished with his first year of converting 100% of his extra-point attempts with 44 makes, and Elliott broke the Eagles franchise record for the best field goal percentage in a single season at 90.9%.[54][55]
During the regular-season finale, Elliott was a perfect six-for-six on kicks in a 22–16 win over the Giants to clinch the NFC East title, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.[57] In the 2022 season, he converted 51 of 53 extra point attempts and 20 of 23 field goal attempts.[58] Elliott reached his second career Super Bowl when the Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. During Super Bowl LVII, Elliott hit both his field goals, but the Eagles lost 38–35 to the Kansas City Chiefs.[59] In three postseason games, Elliott converted all 12 extra point attempts and all four field goal attempts.[58]
2023 season
During the season opener, Elliott kicked four field goals and totaled 13 points in a 25–20 win over the Patriots, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[60] In the next game, he kicked a 61-yard field goal at halftime against the Minnesota Vikings, tying his all-time record. Two weeks later, Elliott kicked a game-winning 54-yard field goal in overtime against the Washington Commanders and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.[61] During Week 12, Elliott converted a 59-yard field goal against the Buffalo Bills in rainy and windy conditions to send the game into overtime and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.[62] In the 2023 season, he finished converting 45 of 46 extra point attempts and 30 of 32 field goal attempts.[63]
2024 season
On March 13, 2024, Elliott signed a four-year, $24 million contract extension with the Eagles.[64] He finished the 2024 season converting 47 of 48 extra point attempts and 28 of 36 field goal attempts.[65] Despite only making 77.8% of his kicks during the regular season, Elliott improved to make 90.9% of his attempts in the playoffs and was four-for-four, both with field goals and extra points respectively in Super Bowl LIX.[66] Elliott accounted for 16 of the 40 points scored by Philadelphia in the Super Bowl victory over Kansas City, which included a season-long field goal from 50 yards.[67] Elliott was also one of four Eagles to appear on both Super Bowl champion teams, along with Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, and Rick Lovato.[68]
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