Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Charlie Smyth of the New Orleans Saints.Alamy Stock Photo FreeKicking On Irish trio cut from NFL rosters - but all three likely to be re-signed to practice squads Charlie Smyth, Jude McAtamney and Mark McNamee will be confident of landing back where they started after Wednesday’s deadline. 11.31pm, 26 Aug 2025 Share options IRELAND’S THREE NFL kickers — Charlie Smyth (New Orleans Saints), Jude McAtamney (New York Giants) and Mark McNamee (Green Bay Packers) — have been waived by their respective franchises as each club reduced its roster to 53 first-team players on Tuesday. However, all three men will hope to be re-signed by their recent employers as development players after Wednesday’s waiver deadline. Former Down Gaelic football goalkeeper Smyth has, for the second year in succession, lost out to the New Orleans Saints’ more established kicker Blake Grupe in their two-man race for the starting job. It was likely a difficult decision for the Saints’ new head coach, Kellen Moore, as both Grupe and Smyth impressed with 100% field-goal success rates during New Orleans’ preseason campaign. Grupe played the first halves of all three of the Saints’ fixtures with Smyth playing all three second halves in full, an indication that their duel was close-run. Smyth, already popular among Saints fans, kicked a 52-yard field goal during Saturday’s defeat to the Denver Broncos and has a longer leg than Grupe in general, but the American remains the lower-risk option for New Orleans with two full NFL seasons under his belt as well as years of college and high-school football. Charlie Smyth poses with his family after the Saints' preseason meeting with the Denver Broncos on Saturday.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo While the Saints ultimately sided with Grupe for a place in their 53-man roster (teams virtually never use more than one precious roster spot on a kicker), Newry native Smyth has sufficiently caught the eye since his move to the NFL last year that he may yet be signed as a starter elsewhere between now and Wednesday’s waiver deadline of 5pm Irish time. During the 20-hour window between the roster deadline and the waiver deadline, all three of Smyth, McAtamney and McNamee are permitted to join the 53-man first-team squad of a different club. The Miami Dolphins could prove a potential destination for Smyth, whose starting kicker, Jason Sanders, is expected to be sidelined for up to the next six weeks. But should Smyth, McAtamney and McNamee all remain unsigned upon the conclusion of the waiver process on Wednesday, it is expected that they will each rejoin the practice squads of their most recent employers. Jude McAtamney (L) with starting Giants kicker Graham Gano and head coach Brian Daboll ahead of the G-Men's preseason game with the Buffalo Bills.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo A practice squad consists of 16 reserve or development players who train with the first-team roster and earn a minimum salary of $12,500 per week ($225,000 for the full 18-week season). A club can add a 17th player to its practice squad using an international (IPP) exemption, for which Smyth, McAtamney and McNamee all qualify. Smyth and McAtamney were signed to the Saints’ and Giants’ practice squads using this exemption in 2024. Typically, a player can be upgraded from a club’s practice squad to its 53-man first-team roster for any period of time. They are equally free to sign with the 53-man roster of another franchise should the opportunity arise during the season. However, an IPP-designated player can be elevated from the practice squad to the first-team roster for a maximum of three games per season, and they are restricted from signing with another club unless they are cut entirely by their current employers. NFL franchises are free to use this international exemption on the same player for up to three years. Advertisement As such, the Saints will hope that former Mayobridge clubman Smyth goes unsigned by rival clubs on Wednesday, in which case they will likely re-sign him to their practice squad for his second year as an IPP player. While continuing his development, Smyth would also be free to deputise for Blake Grupe for up to three games — or for more if they removed his international designation and cut another player from their books. The New York Giants, meanwhile, are understood to be equally keen to re-sign McAtamney to their practice squad in the likelihood that he falls back to them after Wednesday’s deadline. The Swatragh man, who played college football for Chowan and Rutgers between 2021 and 2023, made his full NFL debut for Big Blue in November 2024, kicking a 31-yard field goal and an extra point against the Washington Commanders while starting kicker Graham Gano was out injured. With the 38-year-old Gano rested last Thursday, McAtamney kicked all six extra points during the Giants’ final preseason game, a 42-10 victory over the New England Patriots. He also played all four quarters in the G-Men’s victory over their neighbouring New York Jets a week earlier, kicking a field goal and four extras. It’s understood that the Giants view McAtamney as a viable successor to starting veteran Gano. Meanwhile, the most recent Irishman to feature for an NFL side, Dubliner Mark McNamee, will hope to continue his remarkable story in Green Bay. Mark McNamee kicking off for the PackersAlamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The former Ballyboden St Enda’s goalkeeper joined the Packers earlier this month following his release by the Canadian Football League’s BC Lions, marking his bolt-from-the-blue signing with a preseason debut against the New York Jets less than 24 hours after his arrival in the States. McNamee didn’t get an opportunity to kick for goal during his first Packers start but was thrust further into the action during their second warm-up against the Indianapolis Colts, against whom he kicked a 43-yard field goal and two extra points but also missed a 39-yarder and a further extra point. Starter Brandon McManus took over kicking duties for the Packers’ final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. McNamee, who, like Charlie Smyth, is a product of Tadhg Leader’s ‘Leader Kicking’ programme, joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway only in February of this year. The 25-year-old completed 13 of his 14 field goal attempts at the NFL Combine and went on to enter the CFL’s International Draft. He was selected by the Vancouver-based Lions in the second round. McNamee featured in both of the Lions’ preseason games in May, successfully kicking his one field goal attempt in each of them — from 32 yards and 42 yards respectively. However, he was released by the Lions on 1 June and signed with the NFL’s Packers earlier this month as their IPP player following a freak injury to Australian backup kicker Alex Hale. Hale is not expected to rejoin the Packers, meaning they could still use their free IPP designation to sign McNamee to their practice squad for further development during the 2025 season. The Packers, as expected, have also re-signed their Irish-born starting punter, Dan Whelan, to their 53-man roster. The 26-year-old Wicklow native, who moved to America with his family when he was 13, has enjoyed an outstanding first two years in the league. Whelan in 2023 became the first Irishman to play in the NFL since Dubliner Neil O’Donoghue 28 years earlier. Jude McAtamney became the most recent Irish NFL debutant when he featured for the Giants against the Commanders last November. 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