BREAKING NEWS: Smyth and the New Orleans Saints agree on a new contract.
In an effort to establish a kicking career in the NFL, Charlie Smyth, a County Down native, has inked a new contract with the New Orleans Saints that will keep him with the organization for at least another off-season. If Smyth, 23, is selected for the Saints’ 53-man roster in August of next year, he will remain under contract for the two years he has agreed to. Five months after missing out on the active roster, the former Down Gaelic football player managed to gain a spot in the Saints’ practice squad, thereby sustaining his NFL aspirations. “Right now all it guarantees me is that I’ve got another off-season with the Saints and hopefully this time I can make the 53,” Smyth told BBC Sport Northern Ireland.
After making an impression at the NFL Combine, a set of trials for prospective American football players, Smyth signed his first contract with the Saints last March. Smyth had a promising future as a goalkeeper in Gaelic football, the sport he had played all of his life, after winning the Ulster Under-20 Championship with Down in 2021. However, he began training with Tadhg Leader, a kicking coach for the NFL international player pathway (IPP) program, after he made the decision to follow his dream of playing in the NFL.
