Charlie Smyth
American football placekicker (born 2001) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| No. 39 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | 26 June 2001 Mayobridge, Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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]
American football career
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 August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[15][16] Smyth signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on January 6, 2025.[17]
Personal life
Smyth is a native of Mayobridge, Newry.[18] He attended St Colman's College.[19] Smyth studied at St Mary's University College, where he was completing a master's degree in physical education.[2][20] 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.[21][22]
References
External links
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