MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Vikings released kicker Dan Bailey on Tuesday, the team announced.
Bailey, 33, was at risk of becoming a salary-cap casualty this offseason after the Vikings signed kicker Greg Joseph off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad in February. With $1.8 of Bailey’s $2.7 million 2021 base salary set to become guaranteed on March 19, the Vikings released the kicker to yield $1.7 million in salary-cap savings.
In a tweet issued by Bailey’s agent, Jordan Woy, the Vikings “wanted to keep Dan Bailey, we were unable to agree to a renegotiated contract. They did not want to pay his current contract so he will be a free agent as of today.”
Bailey’s struggles down the stretch of the season were well documented. He missed three kicks against Jacksonville in Week 13 and went 0-for-4 the next week in Tampa Bay. He missed three more kicks in Weeks 16 and 17.
The veteran kicker, who signed with Minnesota entering Week 3 of the 2019 season, was statistically the worst in the NFL last season with the worst extra-point percentage and the second-to-last field goal percentage.
The Vikings’ guaranteed $35,000 of Joseph’s $780,000 base salary when he was signed to a one-year deal last month.