A look back on Vikings kicker troubles

(KMSP) - Ever since Head Coach Mike Zimmer took over for the Minnesota Vikings, he's had two issues that he has constantly had to deal with: quarterbacks and kickers.

The Vikings think they have the quarterback part set with Kirk Cousins and they thought they solved their kicker issues with Daniel Carlson, but alas that's not the case.

Zimmer has had to endure some of the biggest misses in franchise history. Sunday, he had to watch Carlson miss three kicks, two which occurred in overtime causing the game against the Green Bay Packers to end in a tie. 

Carlson was supposed to be the answer to Kai Forbath, who made most of his field goals, but drove Zimmer nuts by constantly missing extra points. Before him was Blair Walsh who infamously missed a field goal in a playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2016.

Another look at the numbers, however reveals the past four kickers may not have been as bad as memory serves. 

Carlson was the highest kicker ever drafted by the Vikings this past spring. He never missed an extra point at Auburn University and was the all-time leading scorer in SEC football history. But that did not translate to the NFL. Carlson made only 25 percent of the field goals he was asked to convert, making one of four in his brief two-game career.

Forbath made nearly 90 percent of his field goals. Walsh was respectable with 84 percent. Ryan Longwell, the old veteran, made 86 percent of his kicks while he was with the Vikings.

The Vikings are now courting Dan Bailey, who was cut by the Dallas Cowboys at the start of this season in a salary cap move. He is the second most accurate kicker in NFL history. 

Bailey has been courted by several teams, but he says he has been waiting for the right team to come along. Zimmer told reporters the team has been in contact with Bailey and he is taking a physical - a prerequisite to signing a contract.