New Competitor for Kicker in New Orleans is Glad to be Here

Sign up for the daily Saints Newsletter by clicking here.

When the call came for the newest name in the New Orleans Saints place kicker competition, Daniel Carlson was “excited to be here."

"It took awhile for it to all play out," Carlson said to the media today, "but at this point in my career, going into year nine, once we knew with the Raiders that was it, you get to a certain point. There's a lot of thought a prayer about where we want to end up. I've got a bunch of young kids. My wife and I live in Auburn, Alabama now. We were really hoping for something local, as local as you can get to Alabama. The Saints were obviously one of those teams. There were discussions throughout the free agency process over the months, but it ended up being an opportunity, and the timing of it worked out better.

"The Saints were almost always at the very top (of where he wanted to be), and it just made a lot of sense. I've heard a lot of great things about this organization. I've only spent a Sugar Bowl and two away games here in New Orleans. So, I'm excited to get to see the culture of the city. Right now, obviously, just trying to catch up on football."

Which shouldn't take Carlson too long to do.

"There's not too many X's and O's in the kicking world," Carlson said with a grin.

Has History in NOLA

Carlson kicked for Auburn from 2013-2017, setting SEC records for most career points (until it was surpassed by Alabama's Will Reichard six years later). He played in the Superdome in 2017 when Auburn took on Oklahoma. He was a three-time member of the All-SEC First Team, earning second team All-American three times while with the Tigers.

Spent Almost a Decade in Oakland/Las Vegas

He is appreciative of the time he spent with the Raiders, but he's ready to see where he can go in this time of his life.

"I was blessed and fortunate to be with one organization for eight years," Carlson shared. "I appreciate how rare that is. So, just taking a step back and taking some time to kind of evaluate priorities and where we wanted to be in life. My wife and I, we prayed about it for a long time and just talked through some of those conversations with teams, and this was just the one where it made a lot of sense. I wanted to come in and compete and earn the job this week.

"I know Tanner (Brown) and Charlie (Smyth) are great kickers," Carlson continued, "and I have no idea how this is going to play out. I think it's just good opportunity, a great city, and the three times I've played in this stadium, I've really enjoyed it."

Carlson's NFL Work

While with the Raiders, Carlson was named All Pro twice. His numbers dropped off in his last few years, though, leading to him being cut in March of this year.

2018 (Minnesota Vikings / Oakland Raiders)
Games: 12
Field Goals: 17 of 21 (81.0%)
Extra Points: 24 of 24 (100%)
Longest Field Goal: 50 yards
Points: 75

Carlson split time between the Vikings and the Raiders in 2018. Minnesota cut Carlson after he missed three field goals in a game against Green Bay in September.

2019 (Oakland Raiders)
Games: 16
Field Goals: 19 of 26 (73.1%)
Extra Points: 34 of 36 (94.4%)
Longest Field Goal: 48 yards
Points: 91

2020 (Las Vegas Raiders)
Games: 16
Field Goals: 33 of 35 (94.3%)
Extra Points: 45 of 47 (95.7%)
Longest Field Goal: 54 yards
Points: 144

2021 (Las Vegas Raiders)
Second Team All Pro
Games: 17
Field Goals: 40 of 43 (93.0%)
Extra Points: 30 of 33 (90.9%)
Longest Field Goal: 56 yards
Points: 150

2022 (Las Vegas Raiders)
First Team All Pro
Games: 17
Field Goals: 34 of 37 (91.9%)
Extra Points: 35 of 36 (97.2%)
Longest Field Goal: 57 yards
Points: 137

2023 (Las Vegas Raiders)
Games: 17
Field Goals: 26 of 30 (86.7%)
Extra Points: 32 of 32 (100%)
Longest Field Goal: 54 yards
Points: 110

2024 (Las Vegas Raiders)
Games: 17
Field Goals: 34 of 40 (85.0%)
Extra Points: 23 of 25 (92.0%)
Longest Field Goal: 54 yards
Points: 125

2025 (Las Vegas Raiders)
Games: 17
Field Goals: 22 of 27 (81.5%)
Extra Points: 21 of 22 (95.5%)
Longest Field Goal: 60 yards
Points: 87

New Orleans Saints Preseason Schedule

Sat. Aug. 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (L 24-20)
Sat. Aug. 22: @ Los Angeles Rams (L 24-20)
Fri. Aug. 28: @ Dallas Cowboys, 7 p.m., FOX

Saints Mailbag

Wednesdays, On SI Saints will answer your questions about what we see from our vantage point. To submit your thoughts or inquiries click here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google