Chad Ryland became just the third player in NFL history to hit three fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning field goals in his first four games with a team.
Chad Ryland is Arizona's placekicker, a former New England fourth-round pick who found a home with the Cardinals after his release from the Patriots. A converted soccer and baseball player who snuck onto his high school field to practice kicking, Ryland became Eastern Michigan's all-time leading scorer before finishing his college career at Maryland.
Path to the league
Ryland kicked four seasons at Eastern Michigan, becoming the program's all-time leading scorer with 309 points, then transferred to Maryland for his final college season and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2022. The New England Patriots drafted him in the fourth round, 112th overall, in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
As a Patriots rookie in 2023, Ryland made 16 of 25 field goals and hit a 56-yard game-winner with two seconds left to beat Denver on Christmas Eve. After his release in 2024, he joined Arizona and earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October, becoming just the third player in NFL history with three fourth-quarter or overtime game-winning field goals in his first four games with a team.
2025 season recap
Ryland made 25 of 33 field goals (75.8%) for Arizona in 2025 while going a perfect 36-for-36 on extra points. He re-signed with the Cardinals in March 2026, having made 10 of 11 attempts from 50-plus yards since joining the team.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Chad Ryland
- Pro Football Reference: Chad Ryland
Statistics
2025 season and career▶Passing · career
| Year | Team | GP | CMP | ATT | YDS | TD | INT | RTG | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | cardinals | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | - |
| 2023 | patriots | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39.6 | - |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Place Kicker
- Group
- specialTeam
- College
- Maryland
- Hometown
- Lebanon, PA, USA
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
