New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Saturday that the club has signed veteran free agent kicker John Carney.

"We're glad to welcome John back to New Orleans," said Loomis. "He is a proven, quality kicker and a quality individual who has made a countless number of big kicks in his career and many of those in a Saints uniform. We're always looking to increase the depth and competition at every position on our roster and bringing John in certainly allows us to do that."

Carney, a veteran of 20 NFL seasons, re-joins the Saints after spending six years in New Orleans from 2001-06. The 45-year old kicker is the second-leading scorer in franchise history with 661 points (making 150 of his 180 field goal attempts – 83.3% accuracy) in a Saints uniform and ranks fourth in NFL history with 1,995 career points and 460 field goals in 289 career regular-season games. He has also played in nine career playoff games, making 12 of 15 field goal attempts and all 14 extra points for a total of 50 points.

The 5-11, 185-pound Notre Dame product is coming off a Pro Bowl season 2008, where he converted 35-of-38 field goal attempts (92.1%) and all 38 of his extra point kicks for the New York Giants, scoring a career-best 143 points. The all-star selection was the second of his career and his first since 1994 as a member of the San Diego Chargers.

The Saints roster now stands at the league-maximum of 80 players.