Daniel Carlson
Daniel Carlson
Plagued by ineffectiveness, and rooted in emotion, former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer pulled the plug on young kicker Daniel Carlson just months after Rick Spielman selected the rookie kicker in the 5th round of the NFL Draft.
After he showed inconsistency at camp and in the preseason, Carlson’s short run with the Vikings ended after he missed three kicks in his first two regular season games of the 2018 season. Days later,he was a member of the Raiders, where he kicked for the seven-plus seasons and was named All-Pro twice.
Saints sign former MN Vikings kicker Daniel Carlson
This offseason, however, the Las Vegas Raiders let Carlson walk. And while it took him a little while to find a new place of employment, the 31-year-old free agent signed with the New Orleans Saints on Monday, after their in-house kicker competition flopped.
The #Saints are signing two-time All-Pro K Daniel Carlson, his agents at @RangeSportsRMP tell me and @RapSheet.
The former #Raiders kicker brings experience to New Orleans, which had been holding a competition between Tanner Brown and Charlie Smyth. pic.twitter.com/bTL7entvEH
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 24, 2026
Related: MN Vikings Rookie Admits He’s Out of Shape; Vows to Fix It
Obviously, the Minnesota Vikings kicker problems no longer exist, thanks to the arrival of Will Reichard. Carlson, though, was able to shake off the humiliation of 2018, to go on and kick in 129 NFL games, converting on 86.9% of his 259 career field goal attempts.
Saints need Carlson to lock in
Last season, the Saints rolled out Blake Grupe and Charlie Smyth as their kickers. Those two converted on just 71.44% of their field goals.
Carlson was far from automatic in 2025, hitting 81.5% on field goals with the Raiders — his lowest conversion rate since 2019 (73.1%). The Saints hope Carlson can return to the kicker he was from 2020 through 2024, when he converted on 90.3% of his kicks.
Daniel Carlson From 60 👀 pic.twitter.com/y3ukzoTViI
— Boot Krewe Media (@BootKreweMedia) August 24, 2026
Related: Vikings Superstar Thinks He’s Sitting on Big Season, Points to New QB
If the Saints can get a heightened level of production out of their kicking game this season, the entire offense takes a step forward. Second-year quarterback Tyler Shough would certainly benefit by having the help of a strong special teams group.
Minnesota plays New Orleans in Week 5 at the Superdome. Their have their own All-Pro in Reichard swinging it for them. The 2024 6th round pick made 94.3% of his kicks last year including a career-best 62 yarder. Carlson might be the one that got away, but Reichard looks the part of the one that will stick.