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Charlie Smyth
American football placekicker (born 2001) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Charlie Smyth (born 26 June 2001) is an Irish[1] professional American football placekicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously played Gaelic football as a goalkeeper at senior level for the Down county team, before joining the NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) in 2024.
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Gaelic football career
Smyth began playing Gaelic football when he was four years old.[2] He first came to prominence as the goalkeeper for Down's Ulster Under-20 Championship winning team in 2020, scoring in every game of the campaign that ended at the All-Ireland semi-final stage.[3]
In 2021, Smyth was the goalkeeper on the Down winning team to lift the Ulster Under-20 title, their first since 2009.[4][5] He was one of three players from Down who received honours in the EirGrid All-Ireland Under-20 football awards that year.[6]
In 2023, he made his debut on the Down county football team and was a Tailteann Cup runner-up with Down.[7][8]
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American football career
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In January 2024, Smyth began training to play in the National Football League (NFL) via the National Football League's International Player Pathway Program.[9] He participated in the NFL Scouting Combine where he connected on 12 of 16 field goal attempts.[10] At his pro-day, he made 8 of 10 field goals, including one from 60 yards.[10] On 29 March 2024, he signed a three-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, becoming the first GAA player to sign an NFL contract.[11][12][13] Smyth had sent an email to the NFL in July 2019 asking for a tryout hoping to see if his Gaelic football skills could transfer to the NFL.[14] He was waived on 27 August, and re-signed to the practice squad.[15][16]
Smyth signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on 6 January 2025.[17] On 26 August, Smyth was waived by the Saints as part of final roster cuts[18] and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[19] On 29 November, Smyth was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster for the first time.[20] The next day, Smyth made his NFL debut against the Miami Dolphins, in which he made a 56-yard field goal and successfully converted an onside kick.[21] On 14 December 2025 he made a 47-yard winning field goal with six seconds left to help the Saints to victory over the Carolina Panthers.[22] He was signed to the active roster on December 19 on a three-year contract.[23][24]
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Personal life
Smyth is a native of Mayobridge, Newry.[25] He attended St Colman's College.[26] Smyth studied at St Mary's University College, where he was completing a master's degree in physical education.[2][27] Prior to that, Smyth had trained as a primary school teacher with Irish language and was ready to teach while also playing GAA with his club Mayobridge.[28][29]
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External links
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