NFL: Charlie Smyth wants to shine on world stage after earning New Orleans Saints deal
- Published
Charlie Smyth sat down with The GAA Social presenters Thomas Niblock (left) and Oisin McConville (right) for an in-depth interview before heading back to America
Charlie Smyth's head was all over the place.
This was his big opportunity and the wait to find out if his dream had been realised or shattered was proving torturous.
Life has moved really fast for Smyth over the past year. Hailing from the village of Mayobridge, Smyth was at one stage training to be a teacher and playing a bit of Gaelic football, the sport he has played all his life.
But after deciding to pursue his dream of becoming an American footballer, Smyth found himself in New Orleans, 4,000 miles away from home and facing up to the biggest day of his young life.
Having honed his skills as a kicker, 22-year-old Smyth did enough at the NFL Combine and International Player Pathway Pro Day to make the New Orleans Saints sit up and take notice.
Smyth was invited to train with the Saints and showcase his kicking skills at the Saints' training facility under the watchful eye of head coach Dennis Allen among others.
He kicked well. He missed a few, but nailed one from 61 yards and was generally happy enough with how he performed under pressure.
After he was done kicking, he was told to grab a shower.
"I was thinking 'what's going to happen here?' - my head was absolutely scrambled," Smyth told The GAA Social.
"I didn't know what was happening, I was like 'am I getting a contract or not here?' because they talked about working with me in the future."
After a quick scrub, Smyth was told he was going to be taken upstairs. A good sign, he thought.
He was right. Upstairs, he met the general manager Mickey Loomis and was offered a three-year contract.
After going through the terms with his agent, Smyth signed and his life would never be the same again. Smyth hadn't kicked an American football before last August. Now he has a genuine shot at playing in the NFL.
The last couple of weeks have been, by his own admission, "absolutely insane".
"It's just been unbelievable. The phone has been hopping with just the support from everyone back home has been unbelievable.
"I just feel very lucky and grateful."
Lucky indeed. If Smyth makes the Saints' active roster, he could earn around $800,000 (£630,680) a year. But coming from a GAA background, he's not one for getting bogged down in the big sums.
Smyth knows that he's entered a cut-throat world, an environment in which his position is far from invulnerable.
"They can cut you anytime [from your contract]," he explains.
"If you're on the practice squad, it's obviously different to what you'd be earning on the active roster.
"It's probably about four times that amount. For me, I know I'm talking about money here, but for me it really has nothing to do with that.
"Genuinely it's not, I've been a huge fan of the sport from about seven or eight years ago. For me it's all about making the best version of myself."
Smyth trained with Tadhg Leader before attending the NFL Combine with Monaghan goalkeeper Rory Beggan, Wicklow's Mark Jackson and former Connacht rugby player Darragh Leader
Smyth, who revealed he was previously a Green Bay Packers fan, added: "At the minute, I know it might sound all serious and all, but I do have a really tough job ahead of me. I feel like I've got the confidence that I can do it."
For a young man who once excitedly slid into the DMs of the NFL UK's Instagram page asking how he could become an American footballer, Smyth seems like he has his head screwed on.
He knows the road that lies ahead and the work that's required if he is to dislodge Blake Grupe - who he is yet to meet - as the Saints' kicker for the 2024 NFL season.
"I've been a huge fan of the NFL. I would watch it more than Gaelic football, to be honest, and soccer as well, and it's not really normal to follow it back home," Smyth said.
"It's maybe not something that motivates me but we probably are putting Gaelic football on the map. The number of people I've spoken to in the States who are like 'what's this Gaelic soccer, or football?'. We're creating awareness for it."
The key question, of course, is: is Smyth good enough to make it?
"I feel like I am. I have a few adjustments to make but I definitely have the leg, the height on my kicks and the power and I feel like there's a few kickers who don't have that.
"If I can keep developing and taking on the tips from the coaches, I feel like I can be in the better half of the kickers in the league. The standard is so high, it's unbelievable."