Brett Maher: 5 Things To Know About The Dallas Cowboys Kicker

The kicker had a difficult time during the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Find out everything you need to know about Brett Maher here.

Brett Maher didn’t have the strongest game when his team, the Dallas Cowboys, faced off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, January 16. As the Cowboys faced off against the Bucs for the wild card playoff game, Brett, 33, missed four out of five extra-point kicks, making him the first to miss that many kicks since 1932, according to ESPN. Luckily, his team still managed to defeat Tampa Bay in a 31-14 game. The Cowboys will face off against the San Francisco 49ers in the next round of the playoffs on Sunday, January 22. Find out everything you need to know about Brett here.

1. Brett played college football at the University of Nebraska

Before his professional career began, Brett was a college football player in his home state of Nebraska, where he walked onto the University of Nebraska team in 2008, where he was a redshirt. As a sophomore, he was the holder, but became the placekicker and punter as a junior, per the Huskers website. He made 39 out of 50 field goals during his whole career.

2. He began his NFL career in the offseason in 2013

Brett’s NFL career began after he graduated when he joined the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He signed with the New York team in May of that year, but was released by July. After leaving the Jets, he played for two weeks in the preseason with the Cowboys, who he would later rejoin.

3. He briefly played in the Canadian Football League

After he was released by the Cowboys, Brett went up north to play in the CFL for a few years. He first joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2014. Most notably, he had stints with the Ottawa Redblacks and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He played his last season in the CFL in 2017.

4. He rejoined the Cowboys in 2018

Aside from a brief signing to the Cleveland Browns in March 2017, Brett came back to the NFL in April 2018. He was originally signed to fill in for kicker Dan Bailey in the offseason, but he was later made the team’s kicker for the 2018 season. Brett has moved around a bit over the years, playing in reserves and practice squads for different teams. Other than the 2022 season with the Cowboys, the only other season that Brett has played was a 2021 run with the New Orleans Saints. He has made 74 field goals during his pro career, according to the NFL.

5. Dallas brought in a new kicker to the practice squad after Brett’s rough playoff game

After the rough game on Monday, fans were surely wondering what Brett’s future with the Cowboys would entail, especially heading into the playoffs. After the game, Dallas Coach Mike McCarthy explained that he felt it was just a bad day. “He knows he has to put the ball through the uprights, and he’s been super productive and consistent for us. And it’s just like anything. We all work with each other every day and that’s what I believe in. I believe in him and his path,” he told local Fox affiliate KDFW.

Despite saying that they had confidence in Brett, a little backup never hurt. The team announced that they had signed Tristan Vizcaino to the practice squad. Tristan had played with the New England Patriots practice squad before signing with the Cowboys, according to an announcement from the team.