Charlie Smyth is unwavering in his belief he will make it as a NFL starting kicker as he patiently waits for an opportunity from the New Orleans Saints practice squad.
The former Down goalkeeper was selected for the Saints in the International Player Pathway Programme from tryouts that included fellow GAA players Monaghan’s Rory Beggan and Wicklow’s Mark Jackson.
“I’ve put a lot of time towards this,” Smyth says. “The stakes are to be one of 32 in the world to be a NFL kicker. That’s still my main goal. In week one [of the NFL season], there were a lot of kicking mishaps in the league, you just never know when that call will come.
“I’m seven for seven in preseason games, I might just have to be a little patient, but I do believe my time will come with this.”
RM Block
Smyth stood out in a preseason game in August when he kicked two field goals against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he finds himself behind the reliable 26-year-old kicker Blake Grupe at the Saints, who has been there since 2023.
“I know that I have one of the strongest legs in the NFL, if you look at my tape, my 50+ yard kicks are going well over the uprights when they go through,” he says.
“One thing I have over Blake is a bit more leg power, which I’m sure he would agree with. But if you have a leg that can make kicks inside of 60 then that’s all you really need. I’m just focused on myself, unless he gets injured or loses a bit of form, and that’s for him to lose, I’m still here and working away.
“I went to a camp in Gatlinburg (Tennessee) against nine other kickers and won that camp against some of the best kickers in the league. So it’s about getting my name out there. It’s just a belief, whenever you have a belief in something, it’s more likely to pan out than saying, ‘I’m just in the practice squad, I’m not going to see any game time this year’.”
Smyth says he still has to pinch himself to be paid for kicking for a living and having lockers beside the likes of Alvin Kamara and Cam Jordan for the Saints. His salary is $234,000 (€199,700), according to OverTheCap.com. Irish-born starting punter Daniel Whelan signed a contract last week worth $7 million (€6 million), so the potential earnings are high.
It is difficult for Smyth, however, having not played college football and fighting an uphill battle with co-ordinators reluctant to take the risk without the years of experience to back up the talent. The 24-year-old Mayobridge man is enjoying life in New Orleans but another team could claim his contract and ask them to be their starting kicker at any time since he is in a practice squad.
He has not lost his Irish accent yet and still keeps a keen eye on the developments in Down, attending this year’s championship game against Galway, and he’s still close with Beggan and Jackson.
And Smyth recently graduated with a MSc in sport and PE for young people from St Mary’s University College in Belfast, alongside his mother, Julie.
“We both delayed it so I could be home, we were called up one after each other. My mum was buzzing with that, the education doesn’t get me going as much!”
Smyth is looking forward to the NFL game in Croke Park between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings, especially with the Steelers having their roots in Newry.
“It’s great to see a game in Croke Park, it’s where Irish kids dream of playing. I still dream of playing there, but maybe with a NFL shield instead of a GAA logo.”
