The New Orleans Saints are making a significant late addition to their special teams unit. New Orleans is signing two-time All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport. Carlson now enters a Saints kicker room that had featured Tanner Brown and Charlie Smyth competing for the starting job throughout training camp.
The 31-year-old Carlson brings considerably more experience to New Orleans. He spent most of his career with the Las Vegas Raiders after beginning his rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2018. He earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2021 and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2022. That 2022 season was the best of his career, when he converted 34 of 37 field-goal attempts and connected
on 11 field goals from at least 50 yards.
Carlson's numbers dipped last season, making 22 of 27 field-goal attempts at an 81.5% rate. He was 5-of-8 from 50 yards or farther and made 21 of his 22 extra-point attempts.
The Saints had spent the summer evaluating Smyth and Brown. Smyth handled the kicking duties over the final six games of the 2025 season, converting 12 of 16 field goals with four makes from at least 50 yards. On the other hand, Brown joined the competition after a standout spring in the UFL.
It's not immediately clear what the Saints plan to do at the position. Carlson could join Smyth and Brown in the kicking competition, but the more likely scenario is that one of the two players will be cut, as Carlson, with a late signing like this one, appears to have the inside track for the Week 1 job. New Orleans has a decision to make again at kicker, a position that has lacked long-term stability in recent years.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Breaking: Saints to sign two-time All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson
