The NFL is a cutthroat league full of owners and general managers ready to fire players and coaches for not performing well. Leading tacklers for teams are inexplicably cut, veteran kickers are kicked to the curb and safeties who threaten to kill fans are canned. (OK, he probably had that one coming.)
That is especially true for kickers, who seem to be entering and leaving a revolving door at team facilities unless his name is Justin Tucker. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has no shame, and he will fire you if you aren't performing up to the standards of America's Team as they compete in the NFC East (although head coach Jason Garrett seems to be safe forever). For ex-Cowboys kicker Brett Maher, he learned that the hard way.
Brett Maher Cut After Visiting Sick Kids
After a missed field goal and an out-of-bounds kickoff in Dallas' 31-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday, Maher was cut on Monday. But here's the kicker: He was let go after visiting sick children in the hospital.
According to The Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins, Maher was with teammates at a local hospital doing some community service work. He hopped on the team bus and headed to the Cowboys' practice facility in Frisco, Texas, where he was waived.
Maher had made just 20 of 30 field-goal attempts and was 36-for-36 on extra-point attempts. His 10 missed field goals not only led the NFL but were more than any kicker had in the last four seasons.
His best game of the season came in a win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 20, during which he was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and 4-for-4 on extra-point attempts. He nailed a 63-yarder in the game, which set a Cowboys franchise record.
In a Thanksgiving day loss to the Buffalo Bills, however, he missed both of his field-goal attempts.
Maher, who played college football at Nebraska, was a bit of a journeyman special teams player. He's previously been signed by the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns but spent time in the Canadian Football League until the Cowboys signed him to replace Dan Bailey in 2018. He finished 29-for-36 (80.6 percent) on field-goal attempts during the 2018 season.
The 30-year-old's signature moment with the team may have been a game-winning field goal against the Atlanta Falcons last year.
Cowboys Sign Kai Forbath to Replace Maher
While it was unfortunate timing for Maher's release, making 67 percent of your field-goal attempts just doesn't cut it.
The Cowboys signed kicker Kai Forbath following the move. He's played for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars and most recently the New England Patriots. He played in one game for the Patriots in 2019 and made his lone field-goal try but missed one of two extra points.
The Cowboys chose Forbath over Nick Rose and Tristan Vizcaino after bringing them in for a workout Monday.
