Charlie Smyth, of Mayobridge, has signed a contract with the New Orleans Saints, according to Pro Football Ireland.
In a move that is historic for the 22-year-old. Smyth significantly improved his accuracy from his previous tryout in Indianapolis last week, making eight out of ten passes during his NFL Pro Day in Florida. He shared a field goal that was over sixty yards later that week, and it became popular on the internet:
Smyth distinguished himself as the most accurate Irish kicker at the NFL Combine earlier this month, kicking 12 of 16 tries and nearly hitting a sixty-yarder that day. Smyth has long been an NFL fan, and now he has the chance to write his own chapter in history.
The NFL IPP athlete and Leader Kicking has agreed to a deal, and he will sign in the coming days. Charlie will join the NFL IPP group as the first Irish player to sign a contract with a team.
Saint Smyth: County Down NFL IPP athlete
Charlie Smyth has signed with the New Orleans Saints, per source.Congratulations to all at Leader Kicking – @TadhgLeader, @DropkickMangan – life changing opportunities & @ProStarSports team! pic.twitter.com/z1rF4IckO3
— Michael McQuaid (@Michael_NFL) March 29, 2024
The NFL’s average kicker makes about $860,000 a year, while Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens is the highest paid kicker at $6,000,000. Smyth’s contract’s conditions are still undisclosed.
In an interview with Pro Football Ireland’s Mark Hogan in January, Smyth discussed his transition from fan to kicker. Smyth remarked, “I’ve been a big fan of the sport for seven or eight years.” “About a year ago, I came across Tadhg Leader’s page on Twitter and I was thinking, should I give it a go?
Smyth went on: “If you had asked me this time last year, would you be doing this? I probably would have just laughed, to be honest. But now it’s here. It’s unbelievable.
I’m willing to give it my best shot. One thing I actually feel like I’m doing quite well at the minute is just enjoying the journey. Session by session, week by week. “I want to get better at this. I want to improve.”
According to a source, Charlie Smyth has signed with the New Orleans Saints
It’s evident that Smyth made significant progress. Smyth demonstrated calmness and increased height in his kicks even during the short time between the NFL Combine and his Pro Day. The Down man’s portfolio was elevated when he relocated from Mayobridge to Florida and was given full-time training opportunities. As a result, the New Orleans Saints have
Blake Grupe presently has the starting kicking position, which Smyth will want to contend for. Louis Rees-Zammit is expected to sign a three-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to reports earlier on Friday. Smyth’s contract specifics are yet unknown, although he is anticipated to contend for the starting positon.
Grupe set a franchise rookie record with 130 points in his debut season with the Saints in 2023, finished with a perfect extra-point record, an 81.1% field goal success rate, and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in the fifth week of play. The upcoming months will be interesting for Smyth as he continues to work hard and be dedicated to reaching the next level in New Orleans.