Jason Baker
Jason Michael Baker (born May 17, 1978) is a former American football punter who played in the NFL. He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and went to Wayne High School. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, where he finished as the school’s all-time leader in punts (272) and punt yards (11,304). He earned Sun Bowl Special Teams MVP in 1997 and honorable mention All-Big Ten in 2000, graduating with a degree in business administration.
Baker went undrafted in 2001 but signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He spent time with several teams, including the San Francisco 49ers (their regular punter in 2001), then back with the Eagles, then the Kansas City Chiefs (2003–2004), the Indianapolis Colts (2004), the Denver Broncos (2004), and finally the Carolina Panthers (2005–2011).
In 2006 he led the NFL in punting yards. He finished his career with 798 punts for 34,097 yards, a 42.7-yard average. He played seven seasons with the Panthers, averaging 44.0 yards per punt in 112 games, setting franchise records and earning multiple Pro Bowl alternates, though he never played in the game. The Panthers gave him a large contract before the 2007 season, making him the highest-paid punter in the NFL at that time.
A notable moment came in 2010 when he tripped up Seattle returner Leon Washington to prevent a touchdown. Baker was known as one of the fastest running punters in the league. As of the 2017 NFL offseason, he still held several Panthers franchise records.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 22:01 (CET).