New Orleans Saints Sign Kicker Daniel Carlson to Increase Competition

The New Orleans Saints have brought in experienced American football kicker Daniel Carlson, adding further competition for the team’s primary kicking position ahead of the upcoming regular season. Carlson, a 31-year-old who has earned All-Pro recognition twice in his career, joins an existing kicking unit that includes incumbent starter Charlie Smyth and fellow contender Tanner Brown.

Carlson arrives in New Orleans having spent seven consecutive seasons without missing a game. Originally selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2018 National Football League draft, he was released during his first season before being acquired by the Raiders franchise, then based in Oakland. Carlson achieved first-team All-Pro selection in 2022 and second-team All-Pro selection in 2021. Last season, he recorded a field goal conversion rate of 81.5 percent, which represented his lowest overall accuracy figure since the 2019 campaign.

Smyth, 25, established himself as the team’s starting kicker in November after taking over the role from Blake Grupe. A former Gaelic footballer from Mayobridge in Northern Ireland, Smyth signed a three-year contract with the franchise last year. In his starting appearances during the previous season, he converted 12 out of 16 field goal attempts and successfully completed all 13 of his extra-point kicks. However, Smyth missed his sole pre-season attempt to date, failing to convert from 52 yards during a defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Saints had already introduced roster competition in June by signing 26-year-old Tanner Brown, who joined the organization following a stint with the Louisville Kings in the United Football League. Brown missed a 39-yard field goal attempt during the Saints’ pre-season loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday, after which the organization, led by head coach Kellen Moore, moved to sign Carlson.

Addressing the ongoing positional rivalry, Smyth told BBC NI earlier this month that facing extra roster competition is “just the way it is in this business” and indicated he would not take new signings “personally”. The Saints will conclude their pre-season schedule with a game against the Dallas Cowboys this weekend before commencing their 2026 regular season campaign on September 13 against the Detroit Lions.

Background

Kickers in American football are responsible for scoring points through field goals and extra points following touchdowns, making the position highly specialized and subject to intense roster competition. NFL teams typically carry only one active placekicker on their regular-season roster, leading to frequent roster evaluations during the pre-season period as teams finalize their main squads.