diff --git a/sys/netinet/tcp_syncache.c b/sys/netinet/tcp_syncache.c
index 778e7626dd4..c83945ac9d3 100644
--- a/sys/netinet/tcp_syncache.c
+++ b/sys/netinet/tcp_syncache.c
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ static void
 syncache_timeout(struct syncache *sc, struct syncache_head *sch, int docallout)
 {
 	sc->sc_rxttime = ticks +
-		TCPTV_RTOBASE * (tcp_backoff[sc->sc_rxmits]);
+		TCPTV_RTOBASE * (tcp_syn_backoff[sc->sc_rxmits]);
 	sc->sc_rxmits++;
 	if (TSTMP_LT(sc->sc_rxttime, sch->sch_nextc)) {
 		sch->sch_nextc = sc->sc_rxttime;
diff --git a/sys/netinet/tcp_timer.h b/sys/netinet/tcp_timer.h
index 2fc8f7b99d0..dc7f172a8c5 100644
--- a/sys/netinet/tcp_timer.h
+++ b/sys/netinet/tcp_timer.h
@@ -170,6 +170,7 @@ extern int tcp_rexmit_slop;
 extern int tcp_msl;
 extern int tcp_ttl;			/* time to live for TCP segs */
 extern int tcp_backoff[];
+extern int tcp_syn_backoff[];
 
 extern int tcp_finwait2_timeout;
 extern int tcp_fast_finwait2_recycle;