An undrafted Florida State kicker who won Carolina's starting job in camp and delivered a Lambeau Field game-winner as a rookie.
Ryan Fitzgerald went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but a strong camp with the Panthers turned into the starting kicker job by late August. He spent his rookie season proving he belonged, including a walk-off field goal in Green Bay that instantly made him a fan favorite.
Path to the league
Fitzgerald played his college football at Florida State before going undrafted in 2025. He signed with the Carolina Panthers on May 8, 2025, and won the starting kicking job on August 25 after the team released veteran Matthew Wright.
Career highlights
Fitzgerald's biggest moment as a rookie came on November 2, 2025, when he drilled the game-winning field goal as time expired to beat the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field, a kick that earned him a reputation for composure under pressure. Beating out an established veteran for the job in his first training camp was itself a notable achievement for an undrafted rookie.
2025 season recap
Fitzgerald appeared in all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, converting 24 of 29 field-goal attempts and 27 of 30 extra points. He struggled from long range, hitting just two of five tries from 50-plus yards, but his overall accuracy and clutch performances were enough to lock down the job for Carolina.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Ryan Fitzgerald (American football)
- ESPN: Ryan Fitzgerald
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | panthers | 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Place Kicker
- Group
- specialTeam
- College
- Florida State
- Hometown
- Coolidge, GA, USA
- Age
- 25
- Status
- active
