FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced the signing of unrestricted free agent punter Josh Miller today. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Miller, 33, joins the Patriots after seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he averaged 82 punts per season and left with a career average of 42.4 yards per punt. Last year, the 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound punter finished sixth in the AFC with a 41.9-yard average and was sixth with a 36.0-yard net average. He also ranked third in the conference with 27 punts downed inside the 20.
After earning all-conference honors at Arizona, Miller launched his professional career in 1994 with the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League. After leading the league in punting for two seasons and twice earning first-team, all-league honors, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996. In seven seasons with the Steelers, he has averaged over 41 yards per punt each season and posted a career-high 45.2-yard average in 1999. He ranks second in franchise history with 574 career punts for 24,340 yards and third with an average of 42.4 yards per punt. The left-footed punter has a propensity for downing kicks inside the 20-yard line. Twice during his career he has pinned 34 kicks inside the 20, which led the league in 1998 and ranked second in 2000.
