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Daniel Carlson sucks...lol
Remember Daniel Carlson? The two-time All-Pro kicker for the Las Vegas Raiders, who played for the Minnesota Vikings once upon a time? He’s hit a rough patch — so much so that Las Vegas added another kicker to hedge the bet.
A one-time elite Vikings kicker is losing his touch. Once automatic under pressure, his recent struggles suggest the magic might finally be gone.
Carlson is too young for an age-related decline, but his performance in 2025 is turning heads and not in a good way.
Ex-Vikings Kicker Daniel Carlson Falls on Harsh Times
The man will need a rebound.
The future, at least for now, looks bleak for Carlson.
Sporting News‘ Mike Moraitis wrote this week, “It has been a tough season for Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson. The normally reliable Carlson is in the midst of one of his worst seasons as a pro, with the veteran kicker making just 75% of his field goals, which is slightly better than Carlson’s career-worst 73.1% success rate from 2019. This is clearly the Raiders putting Carlson on notice that he has to shape up or he could lose his job.”
Until recently — Vikings fans know this well — Carlson has served as one of the NFL’s best kickers, often a diamond in the rough on a habitually shaky team.
Now, Carlson has joined the doldrums.
The Numbers
Carlson has connected on 12 of 16 field goals in 2025, which might sound harmless to a casual football fan, but in kicker speak, 75% is awful.
The low 75% through 10 weeks ranks 33rd of 39 kickers in the business, making Carlson a bottom-10 kicker leaguewide at the moment. Carlson has also missed an extra point this season, and his special teams coach was fired last week.
For the second time in his career, Carlson has hit a rough patch. When it happened seven years ago, he responded marvelously and shapeshifted into an All-Pro kicker.
The Contingency Plan
In a bit of an ironic twist, the Raiders signed another former Vikings kicker this week as Carlson insurance: Greg Joseph.
Joseph held down the fort at kicker in Minnesota at the very end of the Mike Zimmer era and stuck around through the end of 2023 until the Vikings drafted Will Reichard.
On November 6, 2025, in Denver, Colorado, Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson (8) reacted after missing a second-half field goal attempt against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. The usually steady veteran showed rare frustration as the kick sailed wide, marking one of his few off-target moments during an otherwise consistent 2025 campaign for Las Vegas. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images.
For now, Joseph lives on the practice squad, but Las Vegas signing him at all implies that Carlson will have a short leash. It’s his first brush with real job security questions since his unceremonious exit from Minnesota in 2018.
The Path Forward
Head coach Pete Carroll said about Carlson’s woes this week, “The ball’s just got to go through the freaking hoop. We just got to make them. That’s all there is to it. We’ve been so close that one kick in this game, one kick in that game has made a difference, and our season would be somewhat different if we could get him to answer, but, unfortunately, we’re putting him in long situations at the end of the game, and it’s as difficult as it can get.”
“And we really trust in him and believe in him and are counting on him to come through. The ball will go a mile up here in this place in Denver.”
That sounds like a frustrated skipper, one who may not hesitate to roll with Joseph if Carlson’s rut persists.
JustBlogBaby.com‘s Levi Dombro opined this week, “Once an All-Pro in his heyday, Carlson’s production has dropped off quite a bit in recent seasons. Many thought he would earn another contract with the Silver and Black, but the way he’s played this year would indicate he’s closer to having one foot out the door.”
“Pete Carroll has talked extensively about competing since he came to Las Vegas, but somehow, Carlson was exempt from this, despite his shortcomings. After another poor showing in Week 10, however, the Raiders finally added some competition at kicker.”
Carlson is just 30 years old, much too young to experience a production downturn.
Dombro added, “But it is underwhelming, at best. Carlson certainly needs a fire lit under him, as the only kickers that the Raiders have signed in recent years have been insurance policies when Carlson is banged up. It’s good for Las Vegas to have another leg in the building, certainly, if Carlson’s struggles continue. But Joseph does not seem to be much of an upgrade at this juncture. Of course, Carlson didn’t either when he was signed by the Raiders, so anything is possible.”
“However, fans are hoping that Carlson takes this bit of motivation and turns it into success on the field, as he’ll always be a fan favorite.’
Carlson is also scheduled to hit free agency in four months. If 2018 were a reasonable indicator, he’d probably rebound just fine with a new team.
Source: https://vikingsterritory.com/2025/news/a...king-magic
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