A 10-day wait separates us from the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. The Saints travel north to begin 2026 when they face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Kicker Daniel Carlson is wearing No. 10 for New Orleans. Carlson, an eight-year pro, was brought in late in training camp to provide consistency at kicker. He's also our latest in our Saints Player of the Day features.
- Name (age): Daniel Carlson (31)
- Hometown: Colorado Springs, Col.
- Position: Kicker
- Height, weight: 6-foot-5, 213 pounds
- College: Auburn Tigers
- Relative Athletic Score: n/a
- Drafted: Round 5, 167 overall in 2018 (Vikings)
- NFL experience: 8 years
- 2026 salary cap hit: $1.49 million
After attending The Classical Academy charter school in Colorado, Carlson went on to Auburn University. During 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.
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 he 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.
New Orleans signed Carlson in hopes of adding much-needed stability to the kicking spot, not seen since the Saints traded Wil Lutz. In just one week of camp, the Saints saw enough to reward Carlson the kicking job over Charlie Smyth and Tanner Brown. He'll now get an opportunity to reward that faith from the team as New Orleans heads into the regular season.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Daniel Carlson is the Saints Player of Day 10
