Northern Ireland native Charlie Smyth has been signed to the New Orleans Saints' active roster on a three-year contract.
The place kicker will make his fourth NFL appearance on Sunday when he will line up for the Saints in Sunday's fixture against the New York Jets.
Barely 27 months after he kicked a football for the first time, Smyth drilled a game-winning field goal in the NFL last Sunday.
His 47-yarder with two seconds left gave the Saints their first lead and handed the Carolina Panthers a 20-17 loss that was as excruciating for them as it was exhilarating for him.
He has converted four of his five field-goal attempts and all five of his extra-point tries since his debut against the Miami Dolphins three weeks ago.
"I was just delighted to get the opportunity," said Smyth, who was serenaded with chants of "Charlie, Charlie" in the locker room after receiving a game ball from coach Kellen Moore. "It was a good moment and one I'll never forget. I'm pretty ecstatic right now, to be honest."
The 24-year-old graduated college as a primary school teacher in the summer of 2023, with his only kicking experience coming in Gaelic football as a goalkeeper with Down.
He signed up for a masters program in Belfast, but ended up pursuing the NFL instead, joining the league's International Player Pathway Program.
"If you told me I'd be kicking in a game in the NFL, I probably would have laughed at you," he said. "Just the way things panned out, it's been really a dream scenario."
The Saints original first-choice kicker, Blake Grupe, has moved to the Indianapolis Colts, which left the Saints with no kicker on the active roster.
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