Maher connected on 17 of 23 field-goal attempts and 13 of 15 PATs during the 2023 regular season.
In replacing long-time kicker Matt Gay, Maher's first run as the Rams' starting kicker lasted seven games, coming to a close after a Week 7 contest against the Steelers in which he missed two field goals and a PAT. The veteran kicker was released and replaced by Lucas Havrisik, who also failed to make an impact and was waived in Week 17 after five missed field goals and three missed PAT's of his own in nine games. Maher signed back with the Rams before a Week 18 contest against the 49ers and ended up missing an extra point in his return. Maher, an unrestricted free agent in 2024, did put up a perfect performance during Sunday's wild-card loss to the Lions in which he contributed three field goals and two extra points, but he likely won't return to a Rams team that will look to find a more reliable option to handle kicking duties, perhaps via the draft.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Misses extra-point try in return
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Maher connected on one of two extra-point attempts during Sunday's 21-20 victory against San Francisco.
The veteran kicker didn't get to do much in his first game since returning to the Rams to replace the struggling Lucas Havrisik, with no field goals attempted in the contest. Maher had his second extra-point attempt on the day sail wide left, a discouraging sign for a Rams team that struggled mightily from the position all year. Maher ends his abbreviated 2023 campaign 17-for-23 on field-goal attempts and 13-for-15 on PATs, and he'll look to avoid repeating his disastrous 2022 postseason performance with the Cowboys, where he missed five of six PATs in two games.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Signs with Rams
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Maher signed with the Rams on Monday after being released by the team Oct. 24, Greg Beacham of the Associated Press reports.
Los Angeles waived kicker Lucas Havrisik earlier in the day after he missed two extra-point attempts in Sunday's win over the Giants. Havrisik had been the kicker since the Rams released Maher, but the former missed five field goals and three extra points in his nine games. Maher has missed six field goals and an extra point in seven appearances with the Rams this season, but the team struggled to find a better option, per Beacham.
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Brett Maher: Let go by Rams
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Los Angeles released Maher on Tuesday.
Maher's release comes after a 24-17 loss to the Steelers in which he missed two crucial field goals, both from just over 50 yards out, and with another PAT that went wide left. The veteran did convert one field-goal try from 41 yards out, but that wasn't enough to save his job. The Rams don't currently have another placekicker on the active roster, but it likely won't take much time before new options are brought in. Maher, meanwhile, will need to search for an opportunity elsewhere in the league.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Struggles with three missed kicks
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Maher connected on one of three field-goal attempts and missed his only PAT attempt during Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Steelers.
The embattled kicker started his day on the wrong foot with his first field-goal attempt clanging off the left upright from 53 yards out. Maher made a 41-yard attempt in the second quarter, but he then pushed a PAT later in the quarter wide left, and he finished it off with another wide left field-goal try from 51 yards in the third quarter. The Rams could've desperately used those seven missed points, which happened to be exactly the margin of defeat, and the trio of misses has put Maher's job security back into question. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic noted that coach Sean McVay said of the kicking position and Maher after the game, "We'll look at it, and we'll see. He's got to be better." Maher, who is now 8-for-12 on field goal attempts over his last four contests, will look to bounce back against the Cowboys in Week 8, if still employed by the Rams.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Makes FG in all four quarters
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Maher connected on all four field-goal attempts and both of his PATs during Sunday's 26-9 victory against the Cardinals.
While Maher didn't make a lengthy field goal during his busy day of kicking, he was perfect on all six of his kicks, including field goals from 25, 29, 35 and 43 yards, respectively. The solid day for Maher was something fantasy managers were probably relieved to see after a shaky performance in Week 4 and a complete lack of field-goal attempts in Week 5. Maher now stands at a more reliable 16-for-20 on field goals on the year, making it easier to trust the veteran heading into a Week 7 home matchup against the Steelers.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Keeping kicking job
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Rams head coach Sean McVay said that Maher will remain the team's kicker heading into Sunday's game against the Eagles, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.
McVay addressed the kicker's job status after Maher misfired from 46 and 48 yards out in this past Sunday's 29-23 overtime win over the Colts. Maher turned in an excellent regular season for Dallas in 2022, but he wasn't retained by the team after knocking down just one of his six extra-point attempts between the Cowboys' two postseason contests. He then joined Denver for training camp but lost out to Wil Lutz for the kicking job before the Rams signed him ahead of Week 1. Maher has thus far converted on all of his extra-point tries and on 12 of his NFL-high 16 field-goal attempts through four weeks, with the first two misses of the season coming from 56 and 57 yards out in Week 1. Though Maher's poor accuracy Week 4 was less excusable, he looks like he'll get at least one more game to right the ship.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Pair of misses
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Maher connected on three of five field-goal attempts and both of his PATs during Sunday's 29-23 overtime win against the Colts.
Maher had a pair of missed field goals that both went wide left, one from 46 yards and another from 48 yards. The second missed field goal in particular was a critical misfire, as the Colts took advantage of good field position after the miss and scored a touchdown, part of a 23-0 run by the Colts that helped them force overtime. Maher did connect on field goals from 40, 54 and 51 yards to salvage his day from a fantasy perspective, and he'll look to return to form in Week 5 against the Eagles.
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Rams' Brett Maher: No misses for second straight week
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Maher converted all three of his field-goal attempts and his lone PAT in Monday's 19-16 loss to the Bengals.
After a spotty start in Week 1 where Maher missed two field-goal attempts, the veteran has been a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals over the past two weeks. The Rams offense in the red zone was stuck in neutral for most of the night, which created plenty of opportunities for Maher to produce. A Week 4 matchup with the Colts lies ahead, and Maher's hold on the kicking position for the Rams should be a near lock after two very solid performances.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Perfect in Sunday's loss
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Maher converted all three of his field-goal attempts and both of his PATs in Sunday's 30-23 loss to the 49ers.
The Rams have given Maher plenty of opportunities to produce with a surprisingly robust offensive attack, and unlike last week's mixed performance, Maher was able to convert all of his field goal attempts from 38, 43 and 48 yards. The veteran's grip on the placekicker job should tighten after an encouraging performance, and he'll look to keep the momentum going in Week 3 against the Bengals.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Signed off practice squad
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The Rams signed Maher off their practice squad Tuesday.
Maher spent training camp and the preseason with the Broncos, but Denver acquired Wil Lutz from New Orleans during roster cut downs and proceeded to release Maher on Aug. 29. The Rams swooped in and signed him to their practice squad shortly thereafter, and he was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 1 win at Seattle, during which he made three of five field-goal attempts and all three point-after tries. His misses included one from 56 yards and a 57-yarder that was blocked, and despite reverting to the practice squad Monday, he officially is back on an active roster to serve as L.A.'s placekicker.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Inconsistent in opener
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Maher converted three of five field-goal attempts and all three of his extra point attempts during Sunday's 30-13 victory over the Seahawks.
Maher's debut with the Rams was marred by a missed 56-yard field goal and a blocked 57-yard field-goal attempt in the first half, but the veteran bounced back and made attempts from 38, 54 and 45 yards out. Part of the reason the Rams waived rookie kicker Tanner Brown was his difficulties with lengthy kicks, so seeing Maher hit the 54-yard attempt in particular should give him a measure of job security for now.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Set to start for Los Angeles
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Maher was elevated from the Rams' practice squad Saturday.
The Rams didn't have a kicker on the active roster, so Maher appears locked into the starting role despite the elevation off the practice squad. The veteran kicker put together an outstanding regular season with the Cowboys in 2022, converting 29 of his 32 field-goal attempts, but a dreadful playoff stretch in which he missed six extra-point attempts saw the Cowboys opt not to retain him during the offseason.
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Brett Maher: Signing to Rams' practice squad
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Maher is signing to the Rams' practice squad, not their active roster, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
It nonetheless makes him a favorite to kick Week 1 at Seattle, as the Rams recently waived rookie Tanner Brown and don't have any other kickers under contract. Maher spent the summer in Denver, where he and Elliott Fry battled for a job before ultimately both getting cut in favor of trade acquisition Wil Lutz. The 33-year-old Maher missed only six kicks in 17 games for Dallas during the 2022 regular season, but he then went 1-for-6 on PATs in two playoff games and earned a ticket out of town.
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Rams' Brett Maher: Joining Rams
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Maher is set to finalize a contract with the Rams on Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
The Rams didn't have a kicker on their roster after cutting Tanner Brown on Tuesday. Maher had attended training camp with the Broncos, but he ended up losing out on kicker duties in Denver after the team acquired Wil Lutz in a trade. The strong-legged but occasionally inaccurate Maher now looks like the favorite to handle kicking duties for the Rams in Week 1, barring the team bringing aboard additional competition.
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Broncos' Brett Maher: Only kicker left in Denver
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Maher is currently the only kicker on the Broncos roster after Denver waived Elliott Fry (undisclosed) with an injury designation on Tuesday, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.
According to Renck, Maher, who missed both of his field-goal attempts in this past Friday's preseason opener against the Cardinals, converted seven of nine field-goal tries in Tuesday's practice, including a 59-yarder at the end of a two-minute drill. For now, Maher is Denver's lone kicker, but it's possible that the team brings in some competition. Head coach Sean Payton noted Tuesday "we will go day-to-day with where we are at with the kickers," while adding that Maher is "competing against 31 other teams" for Denver's kicking job. With that in mind, the Broncos will likely see how Maher performs over the rest of the preseason while also monitoring other teams' kicking battles before settling on an option for Week 1.
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Broncos' Brett Maher: Favorite for kicking job
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Maher and Elliott Fry are in a training camp battle to be the Broncos' kicker this season, with Maher the favorite to land the job, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.
Maher signed with Denver in late July following a solid regular season with Dallas last year, when he made 29 of 32 field-goal attempts, including going 9-for-11 from at least 50 yards. However, the veteran kicker famously caught a case of extra-point yips in the playoffs, which played a role in his exit from the Cowboys. Should Maher prove to be over that issue, he has a leg up in the competition with Fry, who has kicked in only three NFL games in his career.
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Brett Maher: Works out for Denver
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Maher was one of three kickers to work out for the Broncos on Wednesday, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.
The Broncos currently don't have a kicker on their roster after waiving Brandon McManus on Tuesday, prompting the team to bring in Maher, Elliott Fry and Parker White for evaluation. Maher's tenure in Dallas came to a close this offseason after he struggled mightily in the playoffs, but overall, he was solid in 2022 and made 31 of his 34 field-goal attempts across 19 games. Tomasson adds that Maher also underwent a physical Wednesday, and while no deal is imminent, Denver does at least appear interested in bringing in the 33-year-old for an extended look.
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Cowboys' Brett Maher: Likely done in Dallas
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Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday that the team will be "starting over" at kicker, implying that Maher is unlikely to be retained heading into the 2023 season, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Maher is already headed for free agency with his contract set to expire at the start of the new league year, and Dallas apparently won't be looking to re-sign the 33-year-old. After bouncing around several organizations for much of his career, Maher appeared to find a home in Dallas in 2022. He was one of the NFL's top kickers during the regular season, converting 29 of his 32 field-goal attempts and totaling 137 points, tied for third in the NFL. However, his regular season performance was overshadowed by missing six of his final seven extra-point attempts over a three-game stretch between Week 18 against Washington and the Cowboys' two playoff games. Maher likely won't struggle to get an opportunity to compete for a kicking job during training camp and the preseason, but a team may be reluctant to hand him the gig outright heading into 2023.
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Cowboys' Brett Maher: Big year marred by playoff gaffes
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Maher connected on 29 of 32 field-goal attempts, including nine of 11 from 50 yards or longer, and 50 of 53 extra-point attempts across 17 regular-season games in 2022.
His impressive performance during the regular season, which saw Maher finish tied for third in the NFL with 137 points, was the good news. The bad? His dreadful postseason numbers, as he missed five of six PATs in two playoff games. The kicker is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and the rough ending to his campaign could put his future with the Cowboys in doubt. With special-teams coach John Fassel expected to return to Dallas in 2023, however, Maher likely will get a chance to prove his postseason woes were just an aberration.
