Brett Maher managed to kick it up a notch this season

When the New Orleans Saints found out that Pro-Bowl kicker Wil Lutz would miss a significant amount of time dealing with a sports hernia injury, they immediately went and signed veteran kicker Brett Maher to the team. Maher had been a solid kicker in the NFL and CFL and having a guy with quality experience like his who was available was usually a rarity. Unfortunately for the black and gold, Maher would injure himself during warmups of a preseason game and was subsequently placed on Injured Reserve and then waived. What the Saints next experienced with the carousel of kickers they rolled out week to week is probably not suitable for most viewers to watch again.

Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Brett Maher was the Saints best kicker in 2021, a year that saw them try out four different players in relief of Wil Lutz

In no particular order, the team saw Cody Parkey play in one game and miss 2 extra points. They watched Aldrick Rosas appear in four games and miss 3 field goals. Next, rookie Brian Johnson got his shot to play in four games and he missed 3 extra points in those contests. Finally, it was Maher’s turn to return after recovering from his preseason injury, and while he was not perfect, you had a better sense the veteran was the right guy to stabilize the kicking game.

In the eight games that Maher played, he made 16 of 18 field goals (88.9%) with one of those misses being from beyond 50 yards. He was also the lone scorer in the 9-0 win at Tampa Bay where he made all 3 of the field goals he attempted. He did miss 2 extra points in those eight games, but even with those he was still 2nd on the team in extra point percentage all year.

Saints fans will no doubt rejoice the return of Wil Lutz to the lineup next season as he is one of the most accurate kickers in franchise history. His return will no doubt lead to the dismissal of Maher from the team. While the veteran may find his way on another NFL roster in some capacity, he was definitely a stabilizing force for the Saints this past season.

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