Charlie Smyth, originally from Mayobridge, made history by being the first Irish national to secure a deal with the National Football League (NFL) in the capacity of their international player pathway scheme. Smyth previously served as a goalkeeper for the Down under-20s and has now secured a three-year tenure as a kicker with the Super Bowl 44 victors, the New Orleans Saints.
In February, Smyth travelled to Florida for training where he was joined by fellow GAA goalkeepers, Rory Beggan and Mark Jackson, and former Connacht rugby player, Darragh Leader. This training gave them the chance to prepare for the NFL Combine.
During his showcase to the scouts, out of his 16 tries, Smyth managed to achieve success with 12 at the combine in Indianapolis, crowning him as the most precise Irish kicker of the day. In the previous year’s professional day at the University of South Florida, Smyth hit successful kicks in 8 out of his 10 tries.
On the following Friday, the twenty-two-old visited the Saints’ training grounds in Louisiana before formally signing his contract. He is anticipated to join the off-season workout sessions starting April 15th and spend his summer attending the team’s training camp. Smyth’s main competition for the role of the starting kicker is second-year player, Blake Grupe. Should Smyth not succeed in securing a place in the active roster, he could potentially secure a spot in the practice roster designed for those completing the international pathway.
Elsewhere, Jude McAtamney, a former Derry football player, has also arranged a meeting with an NFL team in an attempt to acquire a professional contract. The Ulster U20 title winner of 2018 with Oakleaf county will get a chance to train with both the New York Giants and New York Jets next week. This attempt is aimed at securing a kicker’s invitation to the training camp.
McAtamney, who comes from Swatragh, has been playing for Rutgers University in New Jersey for the previous two years, having relocated to the USA in 2021. After training with Prokick, an Australian company that trains Australian Football League (AFL) players to become kickers and punters, McAtamney earned a scholarship to Chowan University in North Carolina. After playing one season at Chowan, he pledged his commitment to Rutgers, a division one programme of the NCAA, in 2022.
In his tenure as the lead kicker for the Scarlet Knights in 2022, McAtamney demonstrated a success rate of 67%, skillfully accomplishing 12 out of 18 field goal attempts. He also successfully executed 23 of his 24 bonus point attempts in the same year.
However, the following year witnessed a shakeup in his career as he lost his position as the primary kicker. McAtamney was invited to meet both New York teams after displaying his skills at the Rutgers pro day on a Thursday before scouts.
As opposed to entering the NFL draft, McAtamney is undeclared and prefers to secure a free agent contract.