Daniel Carlson (American football)


Daniel Vilhelm Carlson is an American football placekicker for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League. He played college football at Auburn and is the all time scoring leader in the Southeastern Conference. Carlson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He is currently the tallest kicker in the NFL.

Early life

Carlson was born on January 23, 1995 to Hans and Jodie Carlson. Carlson has an older brother named Nils and a younger brother Anders who is the kicker at Auburn.

High school career

Carlson attended The Classical Academy before college.

College career

Under head coach Gus Malzahn, he never missed an extra point in his collegiate career with the Auburn Tigers. He is the all-time leading scorer in SEC football history.

Collegiate statistics

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Carlson was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He was one of two kickers to be drafted that year, the other being Jason Sanders by the Miami Dolphins.
In the offseason, he competed with veteran kicker Kai Forbath. Carlson won the job, and Forbath was released by the team on August 20, 2018. He made his NFL debut in the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers and converted all three extra point attempts and one field goal attempt. On September 16, 2018 in a game against the Green Bay Packers, Carlson missed one field goal in regulation and two in overtime resulting in a 29–29 tie. The following day, Carlson was waived and replaced by veteran Dan Bailey.

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders

Carlson was signed by the Oakland Raiders on October 23, 2018, after the team released fellow rookie kicker Matt McCrane. In his Raiders' debut in Week 8, he converted all four extra point attempts in a 42–28 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 11, Carlson made two extra points and three field goals, including a 35-yard game winner as time expired, in a 23–21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Carlson went on to convert 94% of his field goal attempts for the Raiders in 2018, setting a new team record.
On April 16, 2020, Carlson was re-signed to a one-year contract.

Personal life

Carlson married Katherine Barker on January 13, 2018, in Birmingham, Alabama. The two met during their time at Auburn.