Matt Prater needed the Detroit Lions just as badly as they needed him three years ago.

And now that Prater is flourishing as a kicker and in life, the last thing he wanted to do was leave what built for himself in Detroit.

Prater signed a three-year, $11.4 million extension with the Lions on Wednesday that should keep him kicking in Detroit through the 2020 season.

"It kind of happened quick and management came up and wanted to get a deal done," Prater said. "And I was excited and all about staying in Detroit and hopefully retiring here at the end of the day."

That's not hyperbole coming from one of the most clutch kickers in the NFL.

When Prater signed with the Lions early in the 2014 season, he was at his professional low. He had just finished serving a four-game alcohol-related suspension, and the Denver Broncos, fresh off a Super Bowl loss, released him under the belief they couldn't trust him anymore.

In Detroit, Prater got control over his drinking problems with help from the former and current front office and has become one of the most reliable kickers in the league.

Prater, who was twice arrested on DUI charges with the Broncos, previously told the Free Press that his suspension came after he failed or did not show up for multiple alcohol tests, which he was required to take after he was put in the NFL's substance abuse program.

He spent four weeks at a 12-step recovery program during his suspension, and after he signed with the Lions he had a partner in recovery in former Lions president Tom Lewand, himself a recovering alcoholic.

"The guys in the building, in the organization kind of help me (be) accountable and stay straight for my kids and wife more than anybody," Prater said Wednesday. "My wife’s super supportive and been great. It’s kind of in like the ancient past for me now, where I don’t even really think about it now, which is good."

Prater said he no longer drinks, but he remains subject to random weekly drug tests.

"I’ve been I think 4.5 years peeing once or twice a week and it’s been clean," he said.

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Asked if being subject to regular testing is still his decision, Prater said, "yes and no." Players in Stage 3 of the NFL's substance abuse program are subject to tests for the remainder of their career, but can be discharged after 24 clean months at the discretion of the league's medical advisor.

"I haven’t tried to really get out of it or anything," Prater said. "It’s just I guess part of the job or part of the deal, so it is what it is."

In Detroit, Prater rescued a kicking game in 2014 that still was trying to replace Jason Hanson — remember the David Akers-Nate Freese-Alex Henery era? — and he's played at a Pro Bowl-level since.

He's the most accurate kicker in Lions history, making 84 of 98 field goals (85.7%). He set a franchise record with a 59-yard field goal in January of 2016. And this year he set a new NFL mark with four field goals of at least 55 yards.

"He does a tremendous job just in terms of our comfort level with attempting kicks that ordinarily you probably would not attempt in a lot of situations," Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. "But he has been really good over 50 yards. He’s been steady throughout his entire career, and he continues to get better."

Prater, who's made 10 of 12 field goals overall this year — his only misses are from 56 and 59 yards — said he's not sure how long he wants to keep kicking. But at 33 years old, he said however long it is, he wants it to be for the Lions.

"Any time you get a little more security it’s always a good thing," Prater said. "Obviously I’m excited to be here and very fortunate and it’s going to be good for my family to call Detroit home for a while."

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!