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NY Giants: Top 5 kicker options to briefly replace Graham Gano

By Charles Vitolo

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 16: Riley Dixon #9 congratulates teammate Aldrick Rosas #2 of the New York Giants the extra point in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears during a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 16, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 16: Riley Dixon #9 congratulates teammate Aldrick Rosas #2 of the New York Giants the extra point in the first quarter against the Chicago Bears during a preseason game at MetLife Stadium on August 16, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

1. Brett Maher* (currently on Houston Texans practice squad)

If the name Brett Maher sounds eerily familiar to you, that’s because it should; Maher was the Dallas Cowboys’ kicker that surprisingly took over for the perennial thorn in the NY Giants’ side that was Dan Bailey.

After getting off to a rocky start that saw him miss his first career field goal attempt, Maher quickly settled in to boot 15 straight field goals in a row that helped Cowboys fans quickly forget about the legend that Dan Bailey was in Dallas.

Maher’s rookie season was very impressive considering he had little experience at the time as he nailed multiple game-winning kicks and showed off a big-time leg, kicking the second-longest field goal at AT&T Stadium (55 yards) while also kicking the longest field goal in team history (62 yards) against the Eagles which at the time was the third-longest in NFL history overall.

He ended his first season as the starting kicker converting on 29-36 kicks for an 80% rate, including nailing 6-7 field goals of 50 yards.

He regressed during his second season with the team as his overall field goal rate dipped to 66.7% (20-30), although he again showed off his boomstick with a 63-yarder against the New York Jets, making him the first kicker in NFL history to have two field goals for 62+ in a career.

Maher ended up being released near the end of that 2019 season as he continued to struggle with mid-range field goals, converting just 1-5 (20%) from 40-49 yards. In fact, his career field goal percentage from 50+ is actually higher (66%) than it is from 40-49 yards (50%).

The veteran kicker also has been extremely proficient when it comes to extra points as he’s missed just one in his NFL career, successfully converting 68-69 XP’s for a gaudy 98.6% rate.

The former Nebraska kicker had a very successful college career, twice making the First-Team All-Big Ten team and twice winning Big Ten Kicker of the Year.

After being let go by the Cowboys, He bounced around from the New York Jets’ to the Washington Football Team’s practice squads in 2020 before recently landing on the Houston Texans practice squad.

Given his experience kicking in the NFC East and his penchant for being able to boot long field goals, he should be a very attractive short-term option for the NY Giants and could be signed off of the Houston Texans’ practice squad now (it would have to be now due to the new COVID-19 rules of having to pass a test before joining a new team).

Yet, given the fact that he’s been practicing with the Texans, he should be ready to roll immediately.

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