Saints release kicker Daniel Carlson

The New Orleans Saints released kicker Daniel Carlson on Tuesday. The move ends a brief tenure that began just before the 2026 season started. The team had signed Carlson to add veteran experience to a unit that struggled in recent years.

Carlson played in seven games before his release. He missed four of his 12 field goal attempts. All four misses came from distances of 50 yards or more. He also missed two extra-point attempts. Through eight weeks, the Saints tied for the worst field goal percentage in the NFL. Only Harrison Mevis, who was cut by the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 13, had a lower percentage during that same stretch.

Coach Kellen Moore said earlier in the week that the team would not sign another kicker to compete with Carlson. The Saints already have Charlie Smyth on the practice squad. Smyth handled place-kicking duties for the final six games last season.

Smyth competed against free agent Tanner Brown during training camp. The coaching staff decided not to carry Smyth into the regular season because he was too inconsistent in practice. Special-teams coordinator Phil Galiano noted earlier in the year that Smyth’s misses often came from the left hash. Galiano suggested the issues were technical in nature.

Carlson joined the Saints days before the final preseason game. He is a former All-Pro who finished the previous season with the Las Vegas Raiders. He missed at least one kick or extra point in six of the seven games he played for New Orleans.