The Money Badger era in Los Angeles is over. The Chargers are cutting kicker Michael Badgley, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It appears that Tristan Vizcaino has won the competition to be Los Angeles’ starting kicker this season. A 2018 undrafted free agent from Miami, Badgley had a lot of success as a rookie after he was signed by the Chargers midway through the year, and it initially looked like they found a diamond in the rough. He quickly became a fan favorite while making 15/16 field goals, including a 59-yarder.
In 2019 he missed eight games with an injury and regressed a bit when on the field. This past season, he regressed a lot more. He struggled the whole season, making only 24-of-33 field goal attempts and 36-of-39 extra points. He missed some crucial kicks, including one at the end of regulation that would’ve given the Chargers a huge win over the Saints early in the season on "Monday Night Football." They went on to lose in overtime.
Vizcaino was also a 2018 UDFA, and he’s spent a lot of time on offseason rosters but has only ever kicked in one regular-season game. That came last year with the 49ers, when he made all three field goal attempts and both extra points.
More must-reads: