Charlie Smyth and Jude McAtamney, the two Irish NFL stars, have been let go by their American football teams, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants correspondingly. Smyth, from Down, and McAtamney, hailing from Derry, didn’t make it to the final season’s roster of 53, hence falling into the waiver wire. By 12pm ET tomorrow (5pm in Ireland) these players could potentially be taken up by any team that shows interest.
In the event that they are left unpicked, their home clubs will probably show interest in exercising their right to retain them in their practice squads. Both McAtamney and Smyth are eligible for an international player exemption, which signifies their spot in the reserves doesn’t add towards the practice squad limit. If their respective teams’ premier kickers face an injury during the season, they can still see promotion.
Unfortunately, despite Smyth’s victorious last-minute field goal for the Saints in their opening preseason match against the Arizona Cardinals, he failed to secure selection.
On the other hand, his compatriot Daniel Whelan has secured his spot for another season with the Green Bay Packers. The punter from Enniskerry outperformed in his last stint with the team from Wisconsin, producing 61 punts in the last regular and post season and is anticipated to earn at the least, a contract worth $795,000, up from his previous year’s $750,000.