Charlie Smyth to start again for Saints vs Buccaneers after impressive debut

December 4, 2025

Charlie Smyth will start for the New Orleans Saints again this Sunday on the road in Tampa Bay.

Saints head coach Kellen Moore confirmed the decision that Smyth will remain as the team’s starting kicker for Week 14.

“We’ll go with Charlie. Charlie will be ready to go. He did an excellent job.”

Smyth made his competitive debut for the Saints last week against the Miami Dolphins in Florida, kicking a 56-yard field goal and completing an onside kick in the 21-17 defeat.

After the game, Moore said: “Charlie’s earned this opportunity. We have a lot of confidence in him. He obviously has the leg to make some big-time kicks.

“That (field goal) was a challenging situation, but it was a situation we needed to get some points there and he drilled it, and it was a phenomenal kick by him.”

Blake Grupe had won the starting job for New Orleans in pre-season but a rough campaign to date which saw him make only 69.2% of attempts including eight misses, he was waived before the Dolphins game.

Last week, Smyth competed with Cade York in Saints practice for the role and earned the promotion. He is one of two active Irish players in the NFL alongside Dan Whelan of the Green Bay Packers.

WATCH: Charlie Smyth nails 56-yard field goal vs Miami Dolphins

Irishman Charlie Smyth’s first career FG goes for 56 yds! 🇮🇪

📺: FOX | @NFLUKIRE pic.twitter.com/qmti6LNoIJ

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 30, 2025

Smyth’s kick was the third-longest debut field goal in NFL history. He joined the International Player Pathway (IPP) program at the start of 2024 which gives athletes from outside the US and Canada a chance to develop their skills and earn a spot on an NFL roster.

The Mayobridge man immediately caught the eye of Saints scouts and earned a three-year deal with the team a few months later.

He impressed in pre-season throughout 2024 and 2025, featuring in four games and kicking a total of five field goals.

Smyth didn’t miss a single one, or any extra points along the way and scored a game winner with his first try against the Arizona Cardinals last August.

It included a 50-yarder against the Los Angeles Chargers and a 52-yarder against the Denver Broncos.

Could Charlie Smyth break the NFL kicking record?

In pregame warmups before the Dolphins contest, Smyth was hitting from 66 yards in the Miami rain and his fourth-quarter field goal was good from at least that distance.

The NFL record for the longest field goal is 68 yards, achieved by Cam Little of the Jacksonville Jaguars last month.

Smyth looks more than capable of eclipsing that mark with the right opportunity and conditions.

The County Down native made a 65-yard field goal in a 2024 training camp practice held at Tulane University and one of his coaches is on record saying he’s watched Smyth hit from 68 and 70 yards consecutively.

Smyth boasts a good advantage over many of his competitors thanks to his strong background in GAA, playing as a goalkeeper for his county and local club Mayobridge.

Playing for the Saints is only going to benefit Smyth’s career, especially for home games as New Orleans play inside the Caesars Superdome.

Known as a ‘dome-field’ advantage due to the lack of wind and weather elements that outdoor stadiums face, it makes kicking in the Superdome highly consistent and predictable for kickers used to the venue.

It’s not quite the same for visiting kickers though, as it is renowned as one of the loudest venues in the NFL.

The highly hostile atmosphere can make it difficult for visitors to focus and execute their kicks and the Superdome reportedly has one of the lowest field goal accuracy rates for away teams in the league.