Chargers 90-in-90: K Tristan Vizcaino

Kicker battles in training camp? Yes please!

Vizcaino originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Washington where he held mainly kickoff duties until his senior year in 2017. In that final season, Vizcaino made 48 of 51 extra point attempts and converted on 12-of-19 field goal tries. During his junior season in 2016, he was also the team’s starting punter, averaging 40.7 yards on 51 total punts.

Vizcaino didn’t actually sign a contract with a team until 2019 when he inked a reserve futures deal with the Bengals on Jan. 1. Over the past two seasons, he’s also had stints with the Cowboys, Vikings, 49ers, and Bills.

This past season, he made his NFL debut with the Niners, making all three of his field goal attempts against the Seahawks in the regular season finale.

Vizcaino signed with the Chargers on March 5, 2021.

Basic Info

Height: 6’2
Weight: 205
College: Washington
Experience: 1
Years with team: 0

Contract Status

“Tristan Vizcaino signed a 1 year, $660,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including an average annual salary of $660,000. In 2021, Vizcaino will earn a base salary of $660,000, while carrying a cap hit of $660,000.” – Spotrac.com

The Good

In his incredibly small sample size thus far in his career, Vizcaino is a perfect three-for-three on field goals. I know it’s not much, but since he hasn’t missed 12 kicks in a single season before, Chargers fans can continue to be optimistic about the competition he’ll bring to training camp this year.

The Bad

Vizcaino didn’t land with an NFL team during his first year out of Washington and has been with handful of teams thus far in his NFL career. Since he’s a kicker, this isn’t the worst thing to see as sometimes it just takes the right situation to make things click. Due to his lack of playing experience, it’s tough to think of anything that’s truly “bad” about Vizcaino as of right now besides simply that.

Odds of making the roster/What to expect in 2020?

Michael Badgley’s job as the Chargers’ starting kicker has never been in more danger than it is right now following his 12-miss season. Vizcaino and UDFA Alex Kessman will both have ample opportunities to win the starting job during training camp and I think it’s as open of a competition as any on the current roster. As things stand, I am personally leaning towards giving Vizcaino the edge over Kessman due to having already kicked in an actual NFL game.