The New Orleans Saints will have one familiar face in the building during rookie minicamps: former LSU Tigers kicker Cole Tracy, who will be participating on a tryout basis. Rod Walker of the Advocate reported that Tracy has tryouts scheduled with both the Saints and the Green Bay Packers.
Tracy has already become something of a legend among LSU faithful after putting the rival Auburn Tigers down with a 42-yard field goal at the end of regulation in their last meeting. He connected on 29 of his 33 attempts last season (a school record), as well as all 42 of his extra-point kicks. His longest successful kick came from 54 yards out. Having joined the Tigers as a graduate transfer fro Assumption College in Massachusetts, he set an NCAA all-division record with 97 field goals in his career.
Just two kickers were selected in this year’s draft: Matt Gay, from Utah (picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Austin Seibert, from Oklahoma (chosen by the Cleveland Browns).
The Saints already have their kicking situation well in hand, after Wil Lutz signed a five-year, $20.25 million contract extension in March. That made him the NFL’s highest-paid kicker until the Baltimore Ravens agreed to a four-year, $20 million deal with longtime kicker Justin Tucker.
But this is a great opportunity for Tracy to shine, and how what he can do in front of NFL evaluators. The Saints only added Lutz in the first place after receiving a recommendation from no other than Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who brought Lutz in on a tryout basis back in 2016. Harbaugh was impressed by Lutz’s performance but already had Tucker holding down the job. They played the Saints in a preseason game that year and, noticing Saints head coach Sean Payton’s discomfort with the kickers on his roster, put in a good word for Lutz. The rest is history.
If Tracy shows up to the Saints’ facility ready to get to work and does his part, he might end up going down the same career path.
