Havard ‘Kickalicious’ Rugland signs with the Detroit Lions

Norwegian kicker Havard Rugland has signed a contract with the Detroit Lions, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com announced on Twitter.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

The Lions were one of several NFL teams to take a closer look at the 6-foot-2, 245-pound Rugland, who has been working with former NFL kicker Michael Husted in California and Florida this offseason. The New York Jets and Cleveland Browns also worked out the Norwegian.

"He's got great potential," Husted told the Los Angeles Times in March. "On the other side, you need more than that. You need connections and to have a little bit of luck on your side. I always tell people that there are kickers who were better than me who did not make it. I was fortunate to have a nine-year NFL career."

The Lions are in the market for a kicker for the first time since 1992 after Jason Hanson announced last week that his 21-season career was over. Rugland will compete against the equally untested Blake Clingan, who joined the team in March, though the favorite for the job is 38-year-old David Akers, who officially signed a one-year, $1.005 million contract earlier this week.

Akers is not a lock for the job as a source with knowledge of his Lions' contract confirmed that the veteran received just $100,000 in fully guaranteed money, a sum comprised of a $65,000 signing bonus and $35,000 base salary guarantee.