Life in the NFL can be brutal for a kicker, which is something that Vikings rookie Daniel Carlson found out the hard way this week.
The team announced on Monday that they've decided to cut ties with Carlson in a move that comes less than 24 hours after the kicker's disastrous 0-for-3 performance in Green Bay on Sunday. During the 29-29 tie, Carlson missed two kicks in overtime, including a 35-yard attempt as time expired that would have given the Vikings the win at Lambeau Field. Carlson also missed a field goal in the first half from 48 yards away.
Following the tie, it became pretty clear that Minnesota probably wasn't going to keep Carlson. During his postgame press conference, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer didn't exactly give Carlson a vote of confidence when asked if the rookie would stay on as kicker.
"I don't know. It's too early. [General manager Rick Spielman] and I have barely talked yet. Rick and I will sit down and we'll talk about it," Zimmer said, via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
The rookie, who beat out Kai Forbath for the kicking job during training camp after being selected in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, is now headed for the NFL unemployment line after just two career games.
Zimmer was asked on Monday to explain why the Vikings decided to cut Carlson, and let's just say, he got kind of blunt with his answer.
To replace Carlson, the Vikings are planning to add one of the best kickers in NFL history. According to NFL.com, Minnesota is expected to add former Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey.
Bailey is on the free agent market because the Cowboys surprisingly decided to release him back on Sept. 1 and keep journeyman kicker Brett Maher.
The reason it was a surprising move is because Bailey has been one of the best kickers in the NFL over the past few years. Since his rookie season in 2011, Bailey has hit 88.15 percent of his field goals, which makes him the second most accurate kicker in NFL history, behind only Justin Tucker (90.31 percent).
Bailey had offers from multiple teams over the weekend, including the Browns, but likely decided on the Vikings because they're a contender and they play indoors, which is a huge advantage for a kicker. The one tiny red flag with Bailey is his injury history. During his time in Dallas last season, Bailey missed four games after suffering a groin injury in Week 7 and never really seemed to recover from it. All five of Bailey's misses last season came after he returned from the injury. The kicker went 7 of 7 before the injury, but just 8 of 13 after it.
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