After missing three kicks in the team’s 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Rams have officially released kicker Brett Maher. Multiple reports Tuesday indicated that the Rams would be moving on from Maher, who missed two field goals and an extra point in the Week 7 loss.
A report from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter indicated that Los Angeles was waiting to find Maher’s replacement before officially releasing him. 10 minutes after Schefter reported the news of Maher’s release, he announced that the Rams were planning to sign former Colts kicker Lucas Havrisik off the Browns’ practice squad.
This is the same Maher, who missed four of five extra-point attempts during the Cowboys’ Wild Card Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 16, 2023. Maher’s brutal day at the office turned out to be record-setting, as his dismal playoff performance concluded with the most missed extra points in a game (regular season or playoffs) since extra points were first tracked in 1932.
Nine months later, Maher’s struggles found him again. Coming into Sunday’s game, Maher had made 16 of 20 attempts (80%) and was a perfect 12-of-12 on extra points. But those previous misses were overshadowed by the fact that they came in two wins, ones that the Rams were able to overcome. The Rams were unable to overcome his many miscues in Week 7, ultimately leading to his release.
Those in the NFL world were quick to react to the Rams’ major roster move.
Wil Lutz has been pretty automatic outside of that first game. Looks like Payton and the Broncos made the right call here. https://t.co/WEg7OI4g8N
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) October 24, 2023
https://twitter.com/BurnerDewey/status/1716870516492153073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1716870516492153073%7Ctwgr%5Ed47c6124a29f48ce4953253c3a6cc71fca151178%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FBurnerDewey2Fstatus2F1716870516492153073widget%3DTweet
The #4 Kicker in fantasy football just got released a week after going 4 for 4 on FGs
This is why we don't have them in leagues. https://t.co/PegJTwh6on
— Chuck Bass (@ChuckBassFF) October 24, 2023
lol nfl teams are ruthless with kickers and overly reactive, the only position that can't afford to struggle a few games while basically being required to win games
no other position in football can score you points from 40+ yards out at a similar rate https://t.co/Xp4ZwawEd7
— ! (@RayTheGrouch) October 24, 2023
Reminder: The Rams had one of the best kickers in the NFL (Matt Gay) and they let him walk in free agency.
https://t.co/xR6SxRTt2g— John Breech (@johnbreech) October 24, 2023
It would appear that #Broncos Sean Payton and Mike Westhoff made the right decision on bringing in Will Lutz #BroncosCountry https://t.co/iq0S0z53NA
— Nick Ferguson (@NickFerguson_25) October 24, 2023
Poor guy.
When their heads go, kickers just can’t get it back together quickly. https://t.co/N7SEFAihPe— Jimmy D 🟦 (@Uncle_JimmyD) October 24, 2023
Bummer for Brett Maher.
Obviously no rematch against the Cowboys this week. https://t.co/3AImL8c9A7
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 24, 2023
Meanwhile, a parade is scheduled in his honor in Pittsburgh https://t.co/MgXcowM2Oi
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) October 24, 2023
They seem to be missing Matt Gay right about now. https://t.co/9F7EJCywyF
— Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) October 24, 2023
The Rams are probably kicking themselves right about now for letting Matt Gay walk in free agency.
[Adam Schefter on X]