Rams waive struggling K Lucas Havrisik, will re-sign previously waived Brett Maher for Week 18

Updated Jan. 1, 2024 4:46 p.m. ET

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The playoff-bound Los Angeles Rams waived struggling kicker Lucas Havrisik on Monday, and coach Sean McVay said Brett Maher will return to kick for the Rams nine games after they waived him.

Havrisik missed two extra point attempts in the Rams' 26-25 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. He missed five field goals and three extra points in nine games with Los Angeles, which signed him in late October.

The Rams’ 11 missed field goals this season are the most by an NFL team since 2015, and their 15 total missed kicks are the most in the league this season.

But McVay said Monday that the Rams surveyed the list of available kickers and decided nobody was a better solution to this season-long problem than Maher, the kicker with whom the problem started.

“There’s options out there, and then there’s guys that have kind of had some familiarity with it,” McVay said.

Maher missed six field-goal attempts and an extra point in seven games to begin his first stint with Los Angeles, which waived him Oct. 24. Maher is best known for missing four extra points in a playoff victory for the Dallas Cowboys last season.

McVay acknowledged last week that the Rams' shakiness in the kicking game has affected his play-calling on third and fourth downs, forcing a naturally cautious coach to be more aggressive.

Despite Havrisik's misses, the Rams held off New York and clinched their fifth playoff berth in seven seasons under McVay later Sunday when Seattle lost to Pittsburgh.

The Rams nearly replaced Havrisik in early December, but he beat out veteran Mason Crosby during a practice-week competition for his job. Crosby then signed with the Giants, and he missed a 54-yard field-goal attempt Sunday in the final minute of Los Angeles' win.

Matt Gay was one of the NFL's top kickers over the previous three seasons for the Rams, winning a Super Bowl ring and making a Pro Bowl roster. When he hit free agency last winter, the Rams didn't use the franchise tag or make a serious attempt to retain Gay, who signed with Indianapolis.

Los Angeles then tried out kickers throughout the offseason before abruptly signing Maher after the preseason ended.

Los Angeles (9-7) finishes the regular season on Sunday at San Francisco. The Rams will be the sixth or seventh seed in the NFC playoffs, and McVay said he hasn't decided whether he will play all of his starters against the 49ers.

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