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Roberto Jose Aguayo (born May 17, 1994) is an American former professional football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, where he was the most accurate kicker in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history and third in NCAA history.[1] He won the Lou Groza Award in 2013. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, unusually high for a special teams player. Despite an accomplished collegiate career at Florida State, Aguayo is considered to be among the biggest busts in recent NFL history. Aguayo served as the starting kicker for the Buccaneers for only the 2016 season.[2][3][4] He then had stints with the Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers, the Los Angeles Chargers and the New England Patriots between 2017 and 2021 without seeing any regular season game action.
 Aguayo in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Placekicker | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | May 17, 1994 Mascotte, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | South Lake (Groveland, Florida) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | Florida State (2012–2015) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2016 / round: 2 / pick: 59 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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Aguayo redshirted for the 2012 football season, his freshman season at Florida State. Aguayo led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in points with 157 and field goals converted with 21 in the 2013 season.[1] On December 12, 2013, Aguayo won the 2013 Lou Groza Award.[5] Aguayo led the ACC in field goals made with 27 in the 2014 season.[1] Aguayo announced his intention to forgo his senior season on January 6, 2016, to enter the 2016 NFL draft. In his three years with Florida State, he successfully connected with 69-of-78 field goal attempts and on all 198 of his extra point attempts.[1]
In July 2021, ESPN named Aguayo as part of their all-time collegiate "Special Teams Mount Rushmore", alongside Sebastian Janikowski, Shane Lechler, and Braden Mann.[6]
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| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
207 lb (94 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | |||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Aguayo with the 59th overall pick in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.[7] They acquired the pick in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, sending their third and fourth-round selections.[8] Aguayo was the first kicker selected in the second round since Mike Nugent, who was drafted 47th overall in the 2005 NFL draft by the New York Jets.[7] On June 7, 2016, Aguayo signed his rookie contract, which included a $1.15 million signing bonus.[9][10] In Week 11, Aguayo went 4-for-4 on field goals and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[11] However, Aguayo finished the 2016 season with the worst field goal percentage in the NFL among kickers attempting more than two field goals.[12] He went 22-of-31 on field goals as a rookie.
In the 2017 off-season, the Buccaneers signed Nick Folk to compete with Aguayo; his $750,000 guarantee was more than Aguayo's 2017 salary.[13] After missing a 47-yard field goal and an extra point in the Buccaneers' first preseason game, Aguayo was waived by the Buccaneers on August 12, 2017.[14]
Chicago Bears
On August 13, 2017, Aguayo was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Bears.[15] He was waived by the Bears on September 2, 2017.[16]
Carolina Panthers
On October 25, 2017, Aguayo was signed to the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers.[17] He was released on December 12, 2017.[18]
Los Angeles Chargers
On January 10, 2018, Aguayo signed a reserve/future contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.[19] He went perfect in the preseason (3-of-3 on field goals and 6-of-6 on extra points) and kicked the game-winning field goal in the Chargers' final exhibition.[20] He was waived on September 1, 2018, after losing the kicking job to Caleb Sturgis.[21]
New England Patriots
Aguayo worked out for the New England Patriots on December 21, 2020.[22] On December 26, Aguayo was signed to the Patriots' practice squad after spending nearly two full seasons as a free agent.[23] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021.[24] The Patriots released Aguayo on June 17.[25] Aguayo was competing with veteran Nick Folk once again and undrafted free agent Quinn Nordin.
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Aguayo's younger brother, Ricky Aguayo, took over place kicking duties for Florida State in 2016.[26]
Aguayo is of Mexican descent.[27] He lived in Jupiter, Florida, with his wife Courtney and their two toy poodles, Groza and Stella, as of 2019. In January 2021, Roberto and Courtney got a divorce.[28] He plays golf, and completed an internship with the PGA of America in 2019.[29]
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