The New Orleans Saints moved on from their kicker on Tuesday, releasing veteran Daniel Carlson one day after head coach Kellen Moore said the team would keep evaluating its field-goal options. The decision came after Carlson missed a 52-yard attempt with 9:42 left in a 16-10 Week 7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers — a kick that would have cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 16-13 — and finished the game 1-of-2, as Yahoo Sports reported.
That miss dropped Carlson’s season success rate to a career-low 66.7 percent, just 8 of 12 on the year. The split tells the story: he was perfect on attempts up to 49 yards with New Orleans, but 3 of 7 from 50-plus. His release ends a Saints tenure that lasted only seven games.
Moore Signaled the Move Before It Happened
Moore addressed the kicking problem at his Monday news conference, before the release became official. “Obviously we just got to continue to evaluate the field goal opportunities,” Moore said, per ESPN. “And so that’d be something that we’ll just have to work through and discuss and find the best solution for Sunday.”
The #Saints have terminated the contract of K Daniel Carlson and have claimed RB Audric Estime off waivers from Cleveland.
The coach’s careful wording foreshadowed exactly what the front office did the next day. Carlson, 31, is a nine-year NFL veteran who was named All-Pro twice with the Raiders in 2021 and 2022 after spending seven-plus seasons in Las Vegas. The Saints signed him in the offseason after Charlie Smyth failed to win the starting job in training camp.
The Numbers Behind the Decision
Set side by side, the two kickers’ recent numbers frame the Saints’ dilemma. Carlson went 8 of 12 in seven games this season, while Smyth — now on New Orleans’ practice squad — hit 12 of 16 field goals in six games with the Saints in 2025, his only NFL experience. The team could return to Smyth if it doesn’t sign another kicker before Sunday.
What happens next is already on the calendar: the Saints come out of their Week 8 bye at 2-5, last place in the NFC South, and must have a kicker in place before facing the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Whether Smyth or a new signing gets the job, the open question is whether the Saints can stabilize a position that has now produced two different starters in one season — and whether a 52-yard miss in a one-score game is the kind of margin a 2-5 team can keep absorbing.
More on New Orleans
The Saints have released kicker Daniel Carlson.
The New Orleans Saints cut kicker Daniel Carlson and claimed running back Audric Estime off waivers from Cleveland. Sunday, those same Browns visit New Orleans. Cutting your kicker before a home game is a bold call.
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