It's a good thing that Green Bay Packers fans didn't take Mason Crosby for granted, because the last few years have proven just how rocky the kicker position can be in the NFL. But after trying to patch up the spot since Crosby left, the Packers took matters into their own hands by drafting Trey Smack.
Smack, the sixth-rounder of Florida, was widely considered the best kicker in the 2026 NFL Draft. Hopes were so high for him that Green Bay rid the roster of veterans in hopes that this young man, with both a first and last name clearly gifted to him by the kicking gods, would pan out.
Through the first week of training camp practices, however, that simply hasn't been the case. With Packers fans uneasy about the bold gamble and those in the building surely feeling the pressure, perhaps the front office would turn toward a familiar name to at least challenge Smack in camp.
That's right, I'm talking about bringing Carlson to Green Bay. No, not Anders Carlson, who flamed out as the initial replacement for Crosby, but his brother, Daniel, who had a successful seven-plus-year run with the Las Vegas Raiders but is still sitting on the open market, unsigned.
It's worth a shot, right?
Packers' Trey Smack conundrum could push them to consider Daniel Carlson
Someone with the last name Carlson trotting out there for the Green and Gold to put one through the uprights may not give Cheeseheads much confidence. The optics of it are at least pretty bad, considering Anders fell short in Green Bay.
And his brother fared pretty horribly as an NFC North kicker with the Minnesota Vikings some years back as well. But Daniel turned into a very good player, earning two All-Pro nods with the Raiders and earning the nickname "Cash Money Carlson." That would sound like a joke to a Packers fan.
But Daniel Carlson was collateral this offseason, with Las Vegas bringing in yet another new coaching staff, which included a different special teams coordinator. He wasn't re-signed, and for some reason, no NFL team has even brought him in for as much as a workout. Perhaps Brian Gutekunst should.
His accuracy did drop off a bit last year, but in fairness to him, it is hard to establish much of a rhythm with how infrequently the Raiders were actually in a position to kick a field goal. Still, he hit 22 of 27 tries, including a game-winning career-long 60-yarder to cap off the finale against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Clearly, his leg is still strong, and perhaps getting stronger, even if the accuracy isn't quite where it used to be. Carlson has been just as good, if not better, than the kickers that the Packers have employed over the last few years, and certainly better than Smack has been in camp.
With reports surfacing that, albeit on a windy day or two, Smack went 3-for-5 and 5-for-8 at camp, suddenly, 81.5 percent doesn't sound so bad. And maybe this pairing would have made a lot more sense if Rich Bisaccia were still in town, which, thankfully, he is not.
That said, if the Packers' kicking woes continue into the preseason, Daniel Carlson is certainly worth a call for Gutekunst, even if he ultimately just lights a fire under Smack and makes him earn the job, instead of just handing it to him.
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