Minnesota Vikings Sign Kicker Kai Forbath

One day after releasing a struggling Blair Walsh, the Minnesota Vikings announced Wednesday the signing of kicker Kai Forbath. He was with the Washington Redskins until October 2015 and finished last season with the Saints.

Forbath played 41 regular-season games for Washington and 10 games for New Orleans, who re-signed him this offseason but released him in September.

The addition of Forbath will reunite the veteran with former college teammates Jeff Locke and Kevin McDermott. Forbath and Locke took the field together for two seasons at UCLA (2009-10). McDermott first long snapped at UCLA in 2011, according to a news release from the Vikings.

Forbath capped his college career in 2010. He made 85 of 101 (84.2 percent) field goals and 102 of 104 (98.1 percent) extra points for the Bruins and won the Lou Groza Award (nation’s top kicker) for his 2009 season.
The Cowboys initially signed Forbath as an undrafted rookie in August 2011, but he was placed on the non-football injury list. Tampa Bay claimed him off waivers from Dallas in April 2012, but he was released that August.

Forbath ranks second in Washington history for career field goal percentage (minimum of 50 attempts) with a success rate of 87.0 percent (60 of 69).

Walsh released

The Vikings worked out several kickers last week after Walsh missed an extra point and had a field goal blocked in the team's loss to the Detroit Lions. Walsh also missed an extra point in Sunday's loss to the Washington Redskins.

Walsh leaves the Vikings having the worst extra point conversion percentage this season.

Pressure to cut Walsh began after the kicker missed a 27-yard-field goal to take the lead against the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs last year.

Image via Keith Allison, Flickr, used under Creative Commons