The New Orleans Saints have signed Gaelic football goalkeeper Charlie Smyth as a kicker in a unique special teams addition.
Smyth, who is 22-years-old, is the first Irishman to ever sign a deal with an NFL team. He found his way to the NFL via the International Player Pathway (IPP). Before coming to the NFL, Smyth was a goalkeeper for Down GAA.
The New Orleans Saints struggled with the kicking game in 2023
The New Orleans Saints and kicker Blake Grupe were near the bottom of the league in 2023. Grupe made 30 out of the 37 field goals he attempted, which was good for 81.1%.
His 81.1% accuracy rating was good for 28th in the league. Out of kickers that played in all 17 games, there were only five that had a worse accuracy percentage.
In the early/middle portion of the season, Grupe struggled immensely. He missed a total of three field goals in just five quarters.
Out of the 19 field goals Grupe attempted from beyond 40 yards, he missed five of them. He had a long of 55 yards, but his lack of consistency from range prompted the Saints to add competition in the form of Charlie Smyth.
Charlie Smyth could compete for the starting job with the New Orleans Saints
Newly signed Saints kicker Charlie Smyth has a chance to compete for the starting job. With Grupe’s inconsistency in 2023, Smyth’s bar is not set very high.
If Smyth can be a middle-of-the-road kicker with the Saints, he will exceed Grupe’s 2023 effort. Smyth recently went viral on social media for nailing a 63-yard field goal in heavy wind.
Rugby player Tadhg Leader said in a CNN article that he is surprised that it took the NFL this long to adapt overseas players like they have this year.
“It’s the most perfect fit, I’m just shocked it’s taken until 2024 for this to happen,” Tadhg Leader told CNN Sport. “I was speaking to the offensive coordinators of multiple NFL teams recently and they just had never heard of Gaelic football. I showed them game footage and they were blown away. They just haven’t seen it as the GAA [Gaelic Athletic Association] doesn’t have the global exposure,” Leader added.
Smyth’s ability to perform at the kicker position in an NFL game remains to be seen, but the ability to be a high-level NFL kicker is certainly present.
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