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Throughout the history of their franchise, the Vikings have fallen victim to timely missed kicks.
There was Gary Anderson in 1998. There was Blair Walsh in the 2015 season. In 2020, it was Dan Bailey’s turn. Bailey missed three field goals and an extra point in a game against the Buccaneers, one that had plenty of playoff implications for both teams.
It seemed possible that Minnesota would release Bailey this offseason after he made just 68.2% of his field goals this past season. On Tuesday, the Vikings made it official, cutting Bailey and saving about $1.7 million on the 2021 salary cap before the official free agency window.
It should be pointed out that Bailey is one of the more accurate kickers in NFL history. He had inconsistent seasons in 2018 and 2020, but in 2019 he made over 93% of his field goals in the regular season.
Vikings fans might remember his porous games against the Buccaneers and Jaguars this past season, but they should also remember when he went 3-3 from 50-plus yards just a season ago. Similar to Anderson, Bailey’s body of work throughout his whole NFL career was impressive. He shouldn’t be defined by his bad stretch in 2020.