4 kickers Detroit Lions could sign after releasing Michael Badgley

If the Detroit Lions were going to part ways with a kicker before training camp started in earnest, Michael Badgley would not have been the top pick. But on Thursday that's just what happened, leaving the re-acquired Riley Patterson and XFL standout John Parker Romo as the kickers on the roster.

It's entirely possible Badgley is brought back, maybe even soon as Patterson and Romo show themselves in what's left of the kicker battle. It's also possible he's injured, as he did not really participate in OTAs for reasons unknown. He also had little to prove at OTAs, as Patterson and Romo did not do all that well based on what reporters on-site passed along.

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reported Badgley was indeed dealing with a groin injury during OTAs.

The Lions did need to create an open roster spot after acquiring Denzel Mims, but they also shouldn't have been afraid to expose Patterson or Romo to being claimed off waivers. It's a little weird that cutting Badgley was the move to presumably make room for Mims. Carrying three kickers was not going to be viable much longer any way.

It's now easy to speculate that the Lions are looking to sign another veteran kicker, to outright replace Badgley and eventually push Patterson and Romo off the roster. It has been a standing angle here that Badgley could be replaced, and now the door is as open to that as ever.

Since bringing Badgley back at some point is boring, and hopefully unlikely, here are some available kickers the Lions can fully pivot toward now.

4 kickers the Detroit Lions could sign to replace Michael Badgley

4. Brett Maher

Let’s try to forget Maher’s case of the yips that came to a full head in the Cowboys’ Wild Card Round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in last year's playoffs. The Cowboys declared they won't forget it, but all that means is there's an opportunity for another team. He had a tryout with the Denver Broncos in May, but he is still available as training camps start around the league.

Maher made 90.6 percent of his field goals last season. He went 9-for-11 from 50 or more yards out,w with a long of 60 yards. That field goal completion percentage was seventh among kickers who played a full season in 2022, better than the likes of Justin Tucker, Younghoe Koo, and Tyler Bass. On the extra point front, since that was his issue in the playoff game, he was 50-for-53 during the regular season last year.

If the Lions think they have an answer for Maher’s bout of postseason yips, such as they may even still be an issue and which any kicker can be subject to, he could get a needed change of scenery in Detroit now that the job is very open. At least a tryout invitation to come to Allen Park feels easy now, in the name of due dligence and just to see where Maher is.

3. Randy Bullock

Bullock was part of the Lions' kicker carousel after Matt Prater left for the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 free agency. He was a late preseason cut by them, then he landed with the Tennessee Titans and had a nice season with them in 2021 (26-for-31 in field goals, 42-for-45 on extra points). He also kicked for the Titans last season, making 17 of 20 field goals and all 28 of his extra points in 15 games.

Bullock was released by Tennessee in February, in what was mostly a cap cutting move, and he is still awaiting another opportunity. He had a tryout with the Broncos about a month ago at their minicamp, but as kicker competitions launch in training camps around the league he's surely waiting for a chance that has good odds to come.

If nothing else, the Lions have familiarity with Bullock from two years ago. And given what happened with their kicker situation from there to before Badgley came aboard last season, they may have some regret about letting him go.

Bullock has been as steady as they come over the last several years, but his last two teams (the Bengals and the Titans) have simply opted to go younger and cheaper to replace him. As the Lions survey their kicker options, he should be one who's on the radar.

2. Mason Crosby

Crosby has been the Green Bay Packers kicker since 20007, also known as Brett Favre's last year with the team. He never seemed likely to be going back to the Packers, and then they used a sixth-round pick on kicker Anders Carlson in April.

Matt Schneidman of The Athletic (subscription required) confirmed as much, with a note that not even a poor performance by Carlson during camp and the preseason would be enough to bring a reunion with Crosby.

Early this month, as expected, Crosby told Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin (via Forbes) he's preparing to kick in a 17th NFL season. It's probably just a matter of if, or likely when now that training camps are starting, a team makes a call.

"I’m getting myself ready for training camp and feeling good," “I’m excited for what this next opportunity holds, and we’ll see what happens"

Mason Crosby

Crosby had plenty of ups and down over his long run with the Packers, and he'll turn 39 on Sept. 3. But he can still make the kicks he's supposed to (three of his four field goal misses last year came from 50-plus yards out), and the Lions have punter Jack Fox to handle kickoffs. Any significant entertaining of other kicker options should naturally include Crosby.

1. Robbie Gould

After six seasons, the San Francisco 49ers moved on from Gould this offseason. He recently told NBC Sports Bay Area he's ready to go whenever a team may want to call him. The Lions, if they weren't one of those possible teams before, should be now.

Gould spent his first 11 seasons with the Chicago Bears, posting a remarkable 85.4 percent field goal rate while playing half his games in the rough conditions of Soldier Field. After a partial season with the New York Giants in 2016, he made 95.1 percent of his field goals in his first year as a 49er in 2017. In 2018, he led the league and set a career-best by making 97.1 percent of his field goals. A drop-off followed in 2019, but he has been steady since, matching the template of his entire career.

In a conversation with The 33rd Team very early in the offseason, Gould outlined what an ideal situation would be for him. Let's also assume a contending team would be something he wants.

" I live here [Chicago] full-time but I don’t know if I want to kick in the cold anymore,” Gould said with a laugh. “I’d look to get a dome and some warm weather first. 40 years, 18 years of doing this, I deserve that I think.”"""

Robbie Gould

The Lions check the dome team box, and Detroit is not all that far from Chicago. They also have just one late-season cold weather outdoor game, against the Bears on the road in December. Mid-to-late October (Week 7, Oct. 22) in Baltimore could not be great weather-wise too, but that's it for any signficant cold weather concerns.

The Lions having some interest in Gould has felt obvious, at least to some people, for months. Now, after the release of Badgley, it feels like an absolute no-brainer and it looks like a nice fit for both sides.