The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t have many reasons to celebrate during the 2025 NFL season. But the campaign closed on Sunday with plenty of excitement as Las Vegas ended an 11-game losing streak against its AFC West rivals with a 14-12 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs thanks to a 60-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson with eight seconds to play.

“He had just a freaking great day,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said of Carlson. “And to hit 60 yards, and with plenty of room to spare is what I was told. It was pretty cool.”

Carlson said he was “very grateful that we got to have some fun at the end,” and for Carroll, it really was the end.

After Las Vegas posted a 3-14 record in Carroll’s only season at the helm, on Monday, the Raiders fired the former Super Bowl champion, whom Carlson rated “top of the list” among the coaches that he’s worked with.

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Las Vegas got outscored by 191 points this season, so Carlson did not have a lot of opportunities for clutch kicks. Against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 28, Carlson’s 54-yard field-goal attempt was blocked with 33 seconds remaining in a 25-24 loss.

On Sunday, Carlson also made field goals from 32, 23 and 55 yards.

“It’s been a tough season,” Carlson said, “and there’s no way around that. But to end it like this, I think it was really cool to send everybody into the offseason on a good note. And so it was just a great team win and just, you know, a fun way. So, like, yeah, it stinks, but that’s the way you want to end it, for sure.”

For the 13th time since Carlson entered the NFL from Auburn as a fifth-round draft pick in 2018, he made a field goal in the final 34 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime. Sunday’s kick marked the fourth time one of those field goals turned his team’s deficit into a lead. Four of the field goals broke ties, and two more tied the score.

“There’s a certain awareness of the situation, obviously,” Carlson said, “but for me, I try and treat every kick the same. Go through kind of my pre-kick routine and stuff. But, yeah, I mean, obviously, it was a longer one, knew the situation and a fun one to end the season on, for sure. …

“I don’t think about that too much, at least during the moment. For me, it’s just about swinging the same swing every time. No matter the highs or lows or what the situation may be — whether it’s one point, three points, every point adds up — and so I try and do that. I’m human, obviously, but you are aware of the situations, the emotions, but I’m trying to stay even-keel.

“And for me, I’m just very grateful I get to do this for a living, and I had no idea I’d be — you know, I’m just a failed soccer player that just happened to turn into a football player basically. So God has just been very gracious with my life and my journey, and I’m just super grateful for eight years here with the Raiders. And getting to end it like that with my teammates and on a great note for coaches, the staff, everybody, is just an awesome way to end.”

Carlson equaled the longest NFL field goal made by a former Auburn player. Rob Bironas made a 60-yard kick with seven seconds left in the Tennessee Titans’ 20-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 3, 2006.

Carlson also sent himself off into free agency with a big kick to end a season that hasn’t been his best.

The first-team All-Pro kicker in 2022, Carlson had curtailed scoring chances with Las Vegas. The Raiders offense scored 25 touchdowns in 2025, the second-fewest in the league, and Las Vegas had the lowest scoring average in the NFL at 14.2 points per game.

Over the previous five seasons, Carlson scored 666 points. He tied for the NFL lead with 144 in 2020 and 150 in 2021. In 2022, Carlson broke the NFL record for 50-yard field goals in a season by making 11.

But in 2025, Carlson totaled 87 points, and his 81.5 percent rate on field goals – at 22-of-27 – was 4.1 percent below the league average and 6 percent below his career average entering the 2025 campaign.

“This is the first time I’ve really been in this situation,” Carlson said of free agency. “I mean, me and my family definitely pray about it, and that’s kind of where I’m at. I am extremely thankful for my time as a Raider, and if that continues, that’d be a blessing and great, and we’d love to be here. But yeah, we’ll see how all those talks go and stuff.

“But, yeah, there’s no doubt: I’m just so appreciative of this team, the staff, the ownership, everybody that’s been, you know, all the players that have been with me through these eight years. It’s been a joy of my life. So we’ll see what the Lord has for us. But we’re excited for the future.”