Former Husky kicker Vizcaino to Sign with Chargers, Compete for Top Job
Hoping to show he's no one-kick wonder, former University of Washington kicker Tristan Vizcaino will sign a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to multiple news outlets.
Vizcaino made his NFL debut on January 3 in the San Francisco 49ers' final game of the season, converting field goals of 47, 36 and 33 yards and three extra points without a miss in a 26-23 loss to the playoff-bound Seattle Seahawks.
A short time later, he joined the Buffalo Bills' practice squad to give that playoff team a back-up kicker for the playoffs. His contract expired on Feb. 1.
A Chino Hills, California, product, he joins a franchise located in Costa Mesa, 30 miles from his hometown.
He'll compete for the top job with returnee Michael Badgley, who had an unsatisfactory season, converting just 24 of 33 field-goal attempts. Badgley lacks range, with all of his misses coming from 40 yards or longer.
Vizcaino will go to work for his sixth NFL team after spending practice time with the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings and the Bills, and kicking for real for San Francisco.
He was jack of all special-teams trades for the UW, handling kickoff and punting chores for a couple of seasons before getting the chance at field goals and conversion kicks.
A versatile athlete, Vizcaino even scored on a fake-field goal in 2015, running one in against Utah State and then he kicked the extra point.
For the Huskies, he was good on 12 of 20 career field goals and averaged 40.6 yards on 56 punts.
His final game was the Fiesta Bowl against Penn State at the end of the 2017 season, a game the UW lost 35-28 in Glendale, Arizona.
Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven
Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: HuskyMaven/Sports Illustrated