Charlie Smyth signs three-year contract with New Orleans Saints

The former Down GAA goalkeeper made his National Football League (NFL) debut in the Saints' 21-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins last month, kicking a 56-yard field goal and an onside kick to keep his team in the match.

He then kicked a 47-yard field goal against the Carolina Panthers with two seconds left to win the game 20-17, effectively securing his spot with the team.

The Mayobridge man had been elevated from the Saints' practice squad to the active roster on three occasions this season, the maximum number allowed under NFL rules.

In those three matches, 24-year-old Smyth successfully kicked four out of five field goals. The 56-yard field goal he made against the Dolphins was the second-longest debut kick in the NFL history.

"Gotta keep it rolling! Delighted to sign on here in New Orleans!" Smyth wrote on X after agreeing the contract, adding the hashtag #WHODAT, a popular phrase of support among Saints fans.

Subsequent to the contract signing, Smyth kicked a franchise-record five field goals and two extra points to contribute 17 points in the Saints' 29-6 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.

Smyth first entered the NFL in January 2024 through the International Player Pathway programme for young, non-American athletes after making his senior debut for Down the previous year.

He also won an Ulster Under-20 Championship in 2021.

High-profile International Player Pathway alumni include rugby players Christian Wade and Louis Rees-Zammit, and former Derry U20 footballer Jude McAtamney also went through the system.

According to Sports Illustrated, the league's top kickers earn around $4-6m per year, but the majority of kickers outside of those on long-term contracts make between $800,000 and $1.3m per year.

Harrison Butker, a three-time Super Bowl winner with the Kansas City Chiefs, is the league's best-paid kicker after signing a $25.6m contract worth $6.4m per year.

The details of Smyth's new contract have yet to be published. Following Smyth's NFL debut, the NFL contract-tracking website Over the Cap reported his 2025 salary as $234,000 and his career earnings at $459,000.

Punter Daniel Whelan, who in 2023 became the first Irish-born NFL player since 1985, signed a two-year deal worth $7m with the Green Bay Packers during the offseason, and Smyth's contract could be worth a life-changing amount of money.

* This article was originally published on BusinessPlus.ie.