It represents a breakthrough for Gaelic games – the first time someone has directly transferred their skills to a professional American football deal.
Reports from Pro Football Ireland and outlets in the United States including The Athletic confirm hopes that Smyth’s invitation to train with the Saints earlier in the week would lead to a long-term deal for the 22-year-old.
It has been confirmed this evening that the Mayobridge man’s deal with the Saints is a three-year contract.
It does not, however, guarantee that he will start an NFL game when the regular season comes back into view in September, but he will have the chance to fight for the job of the team’s kicker.
He will do so after earning a sizeable paycheck. Should he remain on the practice squad for the entire season he will earn a minimum of $216,000, as per league rules. If Smyth wins the top job and starts a string of NFL games, he could potentially earn more – Daniel Whelan, the Wicklow-born Green Bay Packers punter, earns $750,000 a season.
Smyth impressed at the Combine in Indianapolis earlier this month, landing 12 of 16 field goal attempts before converting eight of 10 kicks at a Pro Day in Florida last week, prompting the offer from New Orleans.
He also kicked a 63-yard curling goal in practice during the week in a video which was circulated online, impressive for a player who only began kicking NFL footballs in August.
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Every NFL team must now keep an international player on their practice squad, an opportunity Smyth has taken.
“To get the chance to train for the NFL Combine is actually unthinkable. As a goalkeeper I have spent years focusing on kicking a ball between the posts, and it is great to transfer my skills,” Smyth said ahead of the Combine earlier this month.
Rosters in the NFL offseason usually boast over 80 players in the summertime but must be cut down to 53 players for the regular season. There will be a series of training camps and three pre-season games where Smyth will get the chance to compete for the top job, but even if he remains as a No 2, he will likely stay on the practice squad – essentially a reserve team – in the medium-term, thanks in part to the requirement for each team to keep an international player on that squad.
The Saints’ current kicker is also a young gun. Blake Grupe coming off of his rookie season, where the 25-year-old was 30-of-37 on field goals and 40-of-40 on extra points last year.
Three other Irish men, GAA goalkeepers Mark Jackson and Rory Beggan, as well as former rugby player Darragh Leader are still Stateside making their case for teams to bring them into the fold, each of them coached by Tadhg Leader and part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway. A video of Jackson hitting a 70-yard field goal circling online will likely grab attention.
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It comes as former Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit signs for Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rees-Zammit is set to join the Chiefs’ practice squad, having impressed during his time on the NFL’s international player pathway, and some reports suggest he is also set for a three-year deal.
