Rams release kicker Brett Maher after disappointing performance to start season

The Los Angeles Rams have made the decision to release veteran kicker Brett Maher. News comes after the team’s 24-17 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on the situation.

Maher had a rough afternoon on the field in the loss, making just 1-of-3 attempts during the game. He also missed his lone PAT try.

Through the first seven games, Maher converted 17-of-23 attempts, a 73.9% success rate for the veteran kicker. He had been perfect on extra points (12-of-12) until the miss on Sunday.

Rams released veteran kicker Brett Maher.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 24, 2023

Maher spent the 2022 season with the Dallas Cowboys. He was then with the Denver Broncos in the offseason before landing with the Rams to start the 2023 campaign.

For his career, Maher has converted 111-of-139 field goal tries, right around 80%. He has also drilled a long of 63 yards during his time in the NFL.

With Sunday’s loss, the Rams dropped to 3-4 on the season.

Brett Maher spent majority of career with Cowboys

Maher’s college career at Nebraska came to a conclusion in 2012 but he’s been a regular kicker in the NFL since 2018. He spent some time in other leagues before making a splash in the NFL.

Maher has spent three of his five seasons in the league with the Cowboys (2018-19, 2022). He was with the New Orleans Saints during the 2021 campaign.

The best season statistically for Maher came last season in Dallas, knocking down 29-of-32 field goal attempts for the Cowboys. That included a long of 60 yards during a 12-5 year for the team. But his struggles haunted him in the postseason, converting just 1-of-6 extra point tries in two playoff games.

With more than half an NFL season remaining in 2023, we’ll see if any teams sign Maher at some point.

Strategy from Rams DBs didn’t work vs. Steelers

Trash talk isn’t exactly a foreign concept in the NFL. So, when Steelers receiver George Pickens said that Rams players attempted to get in his head during the game, it wasn’t a huge surprise.

But the problem for the Los Angeles defensive backs? It didn’t work. Pickens piled up 107 yards on five catches in the victory.

“I felt like, personally, a game like this showed me they’re kind of looking for me to kind of mess up and guys are antagonizing me more because today is the first time I’d seen anything like that,” Pickens said, per the team’s website. “Guys really trying to get me out of the game or get under my skin deliberately.” 

The Rams might want a better strategy next time.