Daniel Vilhelm Carlson (born January 23, 1995) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter.
Spe ...
for the
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
, where he became the
SEC's all-time leading scorer and was selected by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
in the fifth round of the
2018 NFL Draft
The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...
. Released by Minnesota during his rookie season, Carlson joined the Raiders and has twice led the league in scoring. He is currently the third most accurate 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
Anders is a male name in Scandinavian languages and Fering, Fering North Frisian, an equivalent of the Greek Andreas ("manly") and the English Andrew. It originated from Andres (name), Andres via metathesis (linguistics), metathesis.
In Sweden, A ...
who is the
kicker
Kicker or The Kicker may refer to:
Sports
* Placekicker, a position in American and Canadian football
* ''Kicker'' (sports magazine), in Germany
* Kicker, the German colloquial term for an association football player
* Kicker, the word used i ...
at
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
.
High school career
Carlson attended
The Classical Academy before college.
College career
Under head coach
Gus Malzahn
Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF Knights football, UCF). He was the head football coach at Auburn University from 2013 t ...
, Carlson never missed an extra point in his collegiate career with the Auburn Tigers. He is the all-time leading scorer in SEC football history with 480 career points and was a three time member of the
All SEC Team First Team.
Collegiate statistics
Professional career
Minnesota Vikings
Carlson was drafted by the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
in the fifth round (167th overall) of the
2018 NFL Draft
The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...
. He was one of two kickers to be drafted that year, the other being
Jason Sanders
Jason Thomas Sanders (born November 16, 1995) is an American football kicker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at New Mexico.
Early years
Sanders attended and played high school football at ...
by the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
.
In the offseason, he competed with veteran kicker
Kai Forbath
Kai August Forbath (born September 2, 1987) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football at UCLA and was recognized as an All-American and the best college kicker in the country in 2009. Forbath was signed by the Cowboy ...
. 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
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
and converted all three extra point attempts and one field goal attempt. On September 16, 2018, in a game against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Carlson missed one field goal in regulation and two in overtime, resulting in a 29–29 tie. The following day, Carlson was
waived
A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege.
Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. For example, a United St ...
and replaced by veteran
Dan Bailey.
Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders
200px, Carlson playing the Oakland Raiders in 2019.
Carlson was signed by the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
on October 23, 2018, after the team released fellow rookie kicker
Matt McCrane
Matthew McCrane (born September 8, 1994) is an American football placekicker for the DC Defenders of the XFL (2020), XFL. He played college football at Kansas State University. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in ...
. In his Raiders' debut in Week 8, he converted all four extra point attempts in a 42–28 loss to the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. 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
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, 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. During the 2020 offseason, Carlson switched his jersey number from 8 to 2 in order to allow quarterback
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota play ...
to wear number 8. In Week 1 against the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, Carlson was a perfect 4 for 4 on his extra point and field goal attempts, including a career long 54-yard field goal, during the 34–30 win. He was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Week 1. Carlson was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for his performance in December.
The Raiders placed a second-round
restricted free agent
A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...
tender on Carlson on March 17, 2021. He signed the tender on April 29. In Week 2, Carlson converted all four field goal attempts and both extra-point attempts in a 26-17 win over the Steelers, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In Week 12 on
Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden a ...
, Carlson went 3-3 on extra points and 5-5 on field goals in a 36-33 Raiders victory over the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
, including a career-long 56-yarder to take a late lead in the 4th quarter and a 29-yarder to win the game in overtime. His Thanksgiving Day performance earned him another AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honor, a feat only two other kickers had achieved at that point in the season.
On December 9, 2021, Carlson signed a four-year, $18.4 million extension with the Raiders, making him the third highest-paid kicker in the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
.
Down the stretch of the 2021 season, Carlson's kicking performance would become crucial for the Raiders. In week 15 against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
, Carlson would make all three of his field goal attempts, the last of which being a 48-yard field goal that won the game for the Raiders. In week 17 against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
, Carlson successfully converted all three of his field goal attempts and both of his extra-point attempts to account for 11 of the 23 points the Raiders scored in the contest, including the game-winning field goal. Carlson's performance in week 17 tied him with
Nick Folk
Nicholas Alexander Folk (born Niklaus Aleksandre Faulke, November 5, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona, where he received first-tea ...
for the league lead in field goals made and field goals attempted in the 2021 season. In Week 18, Carlson made five field goals in the final game of the 2021 regular season against the
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
, including a game-winning 47-yard attempt as time expired in overtime. The Raiders would go on to clinch a playoff spot and eliminate the Chargers from playoff contention.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Personal life
Carlson is a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. Carlson married Katherine Barker on January 13, 2018, in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
. The two met during their time at Auburn. They have two children.
References
External links
Las Vegas Raiders bio Auburn Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlson, Daniel
1995 births
Living people
American football placekickers
Auburn Tigers football players
Minnesota Vikings players
Oakland Raiders players
Players of American football from Colorado Springs, Colorado