Former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher handed NFL return after being released
The Denver Broncos have agreed terms with kicker Brett Maher, after he was released by the Dallas Cowboys at the end of last season.
Maher made the headlines for the wrong reasons during the playoffs, as his four missed extra points was a first in the NFL. Maher became the first player to miss four PATs in a regular-season or postseason game since the statistic was first tracked back in 1932.
The Cowboys still beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-14 as Tom Brady played his final NFL game, but Maher failed to recover. The Cowboys barely used Maher in their following playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, opting to keep quarterback Dak Prescott out there on fourth down on multiple occasions.
The Cowboys lost 19-12 to the 49ers, with opposition kicker Robbie Gould never missing a postseason kick. The Cowboys let Maher go at the end of the season, but Sean Payton is willing to give his former kicker another chance.
Maher will now compete with Elliott Fry for the main kicking role, and has previous with Payton after playing under him at the New Orleans Saints. Maher made 16 of 18 field goal attempts in eight games during the 2021 season.
His record was consistent in 2022 also, but a disastrous end to the season led to the Cowboys cutting ties with him. It may have appeared to be a reactionary decision, but when a team loses confidence in a kicker it rarely goes any other way.
Maher made 90.6 percent of his field goal attempts and 94.3 percent of his extra points in the 2022 regular season, but when it came to the knockout games he crumbled. Prescott tried to defend Maher after their wildcard win against the Buccaneers, but the Cowboys weren't convinced.
Dak Prescott defended Maher last season following criticism towards the kicker (Getty Images) "Yeah I mean, I'm money Maher's biggest fan," Prescott said after the win against the Buccaneers. "I talked to him individually after the game and just told him to let that go, we're gonna need it.
"I just played like s*** a week ago so that happens. Knowing what that guy's done, with his resiliency he's shown throughout his career, personally there's no doubt he will come back next week and be perfect."
Prescott also spoke highly of running back Ezekiel Elliott, in what seemed to be an attempt to keep his friend at the franchise. However, like Maher the Cowboys chose to release him and instead will put their faith in Tony Pollard, who was franchise-tagged and signed his $10.091 million tender for the upcoming 2023 season.
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