Broncos acquire kicker Wil Lutz from Saints in trade

Sean Payton hasn’t stopped bringing in reinforcements from his old shop.

The Denver Broncos have traded for kicker Wil Lutz from the New Orleans Saints, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday, per a source.

Lutz, 29, has spent his entire playing career with the Saints and was among the best kickers in the NFL during Payton’s time there. In 2019, the Saints signed Lutz to a five-year extension.

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The Broncos have cycled through a few kickers this camp. Following the Lutz trade, the Broncos are reportedly releasing Brett Maher, who also previously kicked for Payton in New Orleans. Maher had missed two of his six field-goal attempts in the preseason this year, missing a 47-yarder and having a 52-yard try blocked. Elliot Fry, who was also in the Denver kicking battle, missed one of his two preseason FG tries.

Lutz was a perfect 4 of 4 on field-goal attempts this preseason, but he was embroiled in a battle with rookie kicker Blake Grupe, who made five of his six tries. Grupe’s only miss was a 60-yard attempt.

Although Lutz missed a career-high eight FG tries last season (23 of 31), he hit a career-best 60-yard field goal to tie the game late against the Vikings and was a perfect 30-for-30 on extra-point attempts.

The Broncos traded for the rights to Payton, who was a TV analyst for FOX last season, in January. After his arrival, the Broncos added several players who played for Payton in New Orleans, including trading for tight end Adam Trautman and signing several others.

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