Brett Maher is out of a job.
The Rams released the veteran kicker after a disastrous Week 7 outing.
Maher missed two field goals — a 53-yard attempt and a 51-yarder — and an extra point during Los Angeles’ 24-17 loss to the Steelers.
The team quickly went on the hunt to replace him Tuesday, signing Lucas Havrisik off the Browns’ practice squad, the Rams announced.
The 33-year-old Maher said Sunday that he “felt like I couldn’t find it,” per ESPN.
After the game, Rams head coach Sean McVay seemed to hint that Maher could be on the outs.
“We’ll look at it, and we’ll see,” McVay told reporters. “He’s got to be better. That’s seven points that were missed out on, that were key and critical for the momentum of the game and the type of game that it was.”
Maher, who is in his fifth NFL season, has made 79.9 percent of his field goal attempts throughout his career, although that number has dipped to 73.9 percent (17-for-23) this season, which was the fourth-worst success rate among qualified kickers.
The Nebraska product also missed two field goals during the Rams’ Week 1 and Week 4 games.
Maher’s release comes on the heels of a historically lousy 2022 playoff run with the Cowboys, during which he became the first kicker in NFL history to miss four extra points in a game with a horrific performance in the wild card round.
A week later, he missed another extra point during their divisional round loss to the 49ers.
Maher signed with the Broncos over the summer but was released in August after missing two field goals during the team’s preseason opener after the team’s acquisition of Wil Lutz.
He made the Rams’ roster ahead of Week 1 off their practice squad.
Source