AS NFL STAR CHARLIE SMYTH GETS READY FOR LATE LATE SHOW, WE TAKE A LOOK AT HIS NET WORTH

One man who became one of the biggest stars in Irish sport, seemingly overnight, is Charlie Smyth.

The man from Mayobridge, in County Down, has gone from being a goalkeeper for his county to a star in the States, working his way onto the New Orleans Saints’ starting roster as a kicker and starring for the side as they won four out of their last five matches with him as the kicker.

Smyth has now returned to Ireland for the first time since being added to the Saints’ full roster and is a guest on the Late Late Show tonight alongside Claire Byrne, Nicola Tallant, Charlene McKenna, Amy McNulty and Mischa Barton.

With the highly lucrative sport of American Football, and an NFL contract being an option, many young GAA players are after it, and with the growing reputation of Irish kickers in America, Smyth could become a trailblazer for many more Irish men to follow.

Having been part of the Saints’ practice squad in 2024 and the start of the 2025 season, after a short-lived GAA career with Down, where he won a U20 Ulster title and was part of the senior team that were runners-up in the 2023 Tailteann Cup.

Smyth then transitioned to professional sports over in the States and in his two seasons earned $245,000 (€211,000) per year as part of the practice squad. However, after being elevated to the main roster and after a game-winning performance against the Carolina Panthers, where he scored the game-winning field goal, Smyth was given a three-year deal, becoming the first player developed in Ireland to sign a full NFL deal.

However, the caveat with these NFL deals is that none of the money is guaranteed, players can be cut at any time, and one of the most ruthless positions for cuts is the kicker.

One bad game with a few bad misses, and kickers are normally cut from the team. Fellow Irishman Jude McAtamney saw that fate earlier in the 2025 season when he was cut from the New York Giants after a bad performance where he missed two extra-point attempts, which cost the Giants the game as they lost 33-32 to the Denver Broncos. He was cut from the team two days later.

Smyth’s deal is worth $2,965,000 (€2,550,000) over the three years, which according to Over the Cap is broken down to his first year he’ll earn $840,000 (€723,000), followed by the second year when he’ll earn $1,005,000 (€865,000) and in the final year of the contract he’ll earn $1,120,000 (€964,000).

So with the new contract, if Smyth makes it to the end of the three-year deal, his total NFL earnings could amount to around $3,455,000 (€2,973,000), which doesn’t include any sponsorship deals he may have already.

2026-01-16T13:39:39Z