Matt Araiza NFL Contract: How Much Is Bills Punter Getting Paid?

Matt Araiza, whose powerful and precision kicking in college earned him the nickname "Punt God," currently plays punter for the Buffalo Bills.

The 22-year-old California native was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

In May, he reportedly signed a four-year, $3.87 million contract with the team, which will take him through 2025, according to Spotrac.

Under the contract, the Bills rookie will make $705,000 this year, $870,000 in 2023 and $985,000 in 2024 in base salary, the player contract resource said. He will also receive a signing bonus of $216,000.

Araiza is also set to earn a whopping $1.1 million in the final season of his deal, according to the outlet.

Earlier this week, the Bills named Araiza their starting punter and released incumbent Matt Haack, who went on to sign with the Indianapolis Colts.

However, shortly after getting the starting punter job, Araiza, who was one of the top punters in college football last season, and two of his former San Diego State teammates Zavier Leonard and Nowlin "Pa'a" Ewaliko were accused in a civil lawsuit of gang-raping a then-17-year-old girl last year.

The alleged incident happened at a Halloween party on Oct. 17, 2021, at a home where Araiza had been living, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the news.

The lawsuit, filed in San Diego County superior court, reportedly stated that the teen had been drinking with friends when they decided to go to the party and was "observably intoxicated upon arrival."

When she was separated from her friends, she was approached by Araiza who offered her a drink. The complainant believes the drink "not only contained alcohol, but other intoxicating substances," the lawsuit alleged.

The complaint alleged that Araiza took the teen to a room and threw her onto a bed before he and his teammates raped her. The complainant went in and out of consciousness during the alleged assault, "but she does remember some moments from the horrific gang rape," according to the lawsuit.

After an hour and a half, the complainant "stumbled out of the room bloody and crying." The next day, she told her friends and police about the alleged incident and underwent a rape exam, according to the lawsuit.

In a statement Thursday obtained by NFL Network's Mike Giardi, the Bills said that they were recently made aware of the allegations against Araiza and that they conducted a thorough examination of the matter. However, they added that they will not comment further on the ongoing case at this time.

The Bills traveled to Carolina for their exhibition finale at the Panthers on Friday night. It's unclear whether Araiza will play against the Panthers, though the Bills have no other punter on their roster, according to the Associated Press.