What the Saints are getting in newly-signed kicker Daniel Carlson

On Monday, the New Orleans Saints announced that they had signed free agent Daniel Carlson at kicker. Carlson was added to hopefully stabilize the New Orleans kicking situation. Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown had both had their struggles through training camp and preseason for the Saints.

Carlson, 31, has spent all but two games of his eight-year NFL career with the Las Vegas Raiders. He was a teammate of running back Zamir White for four seasons with the Raiders. White was acquired in a trade by the Saints on Sunday from the San Francisco 49ers. Here’s a look at Carlson’s career to date as he joins New Orleans.

• Name (age): Daniel Carlson (31)
• Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
• Position: Kicker
• Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 215 pounds
• College: Auburn Tigers
• Relative Athletic Score:
• Drafted: Round 5, 167 overall in 2018 (Raiders)
• NFL career: 8 years
• 2026 salary cap hit: TBD

In four years with the Auburn Tigers, Carlson was perfect on 198 extra point attempts and successful on 92 of 114 field goals, an 80.7% conversion rate. He led the SEC in field goals made in each of his final three seasons and was the conference leader with 126 points in 2017 as a senior after 128 points the prior campaign. Carlson was a three-time 1st Team All-SEC selection and 2nd Team All-American three times. He left Auburn as the SEC career leader in points (480), a distinction he’d hold until 2023.

Daniel Carlson was a fifth-round choice, the 167th overall selection, by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2018 NFL Draft. He’d play the first two games of that season with Minnesota before being released, but signed with the Oakland Raiders just a month later. Carlson spent the next eight seasons with the Raiders as one of the most consistent kickers in the NFL.

Over his eight-year career, Carlson has an 86.7% conversion rate on field goals and 95.7% on extra points. He is 37 of 51 (76.6%) from beyond 50 yards and 91 of 121 (75.2%) from beyond 40 yards. Carlson’s 144 points in 2020 and 150 points in 2021 led the NFL both seasons. His 40 field goals made (out of 43 attempts) in 2021 were the most in the league. He was a 2nd Team All-Pro in 2021 and in 2022 earned 1st Team All-Pro accolades. Last season with the Raiders, Carlson was 22 of 27 on field goals (81.5%) and 21 of 22 on his extra points. His 87 points were a career-low, as was his field goal conversion rate.

Daniel Carlson was signed by the Saints to stabilize a kicking situation that’s been inconsistent, at best, since the team traded Wil Lutz three years ago. Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown had been wildly inaccurate throughout training camp and the preseason, prompting the team to make a move. Clearly, Daniel Carlson is the favorite to be the New Orleans kicker to start 2026. If he’s anything close to what he’s been throughout his career, the Saints are getting a major upgrade.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: What the Saints are getting in newly-signed kicker Daniel Carlson