Kai Forbath wins battle for Minnesota Vikings kicker in 2017

The battle for being the Minnesota Vikings kicker has reportedly come to an end with Kai Forbath winning the job and Koehn being informed of his release.

Competition for being the Minnesota Vikings kicker in 2017 was a close one. Returning veteran Kai Forbath went head-to-head with a younger competitor with a stronger leg during the preseason, but still came up victorious according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

Marshall Koehn put up a good fight. During the team’s preseason week 3 game against the San Francisco 49ers, he hit a 58 yard field goal which impressed nearly everyone. However, his consistency needed improvement.

Forbath was a perfect 15/15 on field goals last season, and followed up on that streak this preseason by going 3/3. However, last year he did miss 3 of his 15 extra point attempts, which is likely why the team brought in competition.

However, it appears as though Kai Forbath will return to be the Vikings kicker for the 2017 season. According to the tweet from Rapoport, Koehn has been informed of his release and the team will go forward with Forbath.

This shouldn’t be much of a surprise to Vikings fans. Having a more reliable kicker fits in well with the defense-led Minnesota team. However, this does mean that the franchise will need to think twice before making long field goal attempts.

At the age of 30, there is still plenty of tread on the tires of Forbath if he continues to show the kind of consistency and professionalism he has in the past. While he will likely continue to face competition for the job, as long as he can keep putting the football through the uprights, he will likely have a job in Minnesota.

Next: Vikings 2017 schedule breakdown

Congratulations go out to Kai Forbath for winning the kicking job for the Minnesota Vikings. Also, we at The Viking Age would like to wish Marshall Koehn the best of luck in all of his future endeavors.