NFL Free Agency: Has the NFL forgotten about Matt Bryant?

One of the best remaining players on the market in NFL free agency is kicker Matt Bryant. When will he find a team?

Kicker Matt Bryant is one of the best players currently available in NFL free agency. Bryant spent the last 10 seasons of his career with the Atlanta Falcons. During those 10 years, Bryant became the Falcons’ all-time leading scorer, racking up 1,122 points. His 1,122 points with the Falcons lead the franchise by 316 points.

Over his time with the Falcons, Bryant was one of the most consistent kickers in the league. In his 10 seasons, Bryant had five seasons where he made 90% or more of his kicks. In three of his remaining five seasons, Bryant made 86% or more of his kicks.

Bryant cemented himself as one of the best players in Falcons’ history, but that didn’t stop the Falcons from releasing him back in February.

With it now being June, Bryant has been a free agent for four months. In those four months, we haven’t heard much, if anything at all, about Bryant having interest from NFL teams.

Why hasn’t he been signed?

This one’s a bit of a head scratcher if I do say so myself. With kickers being more important than ever in today’s NFL, you’d think a kicker who made 95.2% (20 of 21) of his kicks last season would be in high demand. Bryant only missed one kick all season long! How many times did we see kickers miss multiple kicks in one game last season?

Of all kickers who attempted a field goal last season, Bryant ranked seventh in field goal percentage. The top four guys on that list all made 100% of their kicks, but none of them kicked more than six field goals. If we look at all the guys who attempted more than six field goals, only two kickers had a better percentage than Bryant.

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If I had to give an answer as to why Bryant hasn’t been signed yet, I’d guess it’d have something to do with age and injury concerns. Being 44, Matt Bryant isn’t getting any younger. His age could have contributed to him missing three games a season ago. A third concern for teams could be money.

If these concerns really are reasons why Bryant still remains available in NFL free agency, let’s quickly put them to rest.

Age: Despite being 44, Bryant has proved he can still be one of the best kickers in the league. Again, he missed just one kick last season in 21 attempts. His lowest percentage over the last three seasons was 87.9%. Matt Bryant has faced just about every situation during his time in the league, so perhaps his age and experience is actually a good thing.

Injury: Now let’s dismiss the injury concerns. While it’s true that Bryant missed three games last season, teams shouldn’t let that impact their decision to sign him. The three games he missed came in weeks seven through 10. He missed the middle of the season but came back to finish the season strong in weeks 11 through 17. It is not like Bryant got hurt during the most important time of the year and didn’t finish the season out.

I can see why teams would be concerned about his health with him being 44, but in the two seasons prior to last, Bryant played all 16 games.

Money: If money is a concern for teams interested in Matt Bryant, it shouldn’t be. There’s a good chance Bryant is a better kicker than who they’ve got on their roster currently. Kicking has never been more important in today’s NFL than it is right now. A kicker of Bryant’s caliber is worth the money, especially if it means winning games vs losing them.

I get why teams would want to go the cheap route with their kicker, but that’s a decision they might regret when their kicker costs them a game, two games, and eventually the season.

With teams getting closer and closer to training camp, they’ll soon realize they don’t have what they’re looking for in their kicker. Several kickers will be fighting for their jobs. Instead of kicking their way to a starting position, they’ll kick their way out of the building leading to teams looking to NFL free agency.

That’s where Matt Bryant comes in. Teams may think they’ve got their kicker spot filled for now, but that thought will soon change. When it does, Matt Bryant, one of the best kickers in the NFL, will be sitting there for the taking.

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Matt Bryant and his 95.2% field goals made last season would be an upgrade for just about every team in the NFL, which is why the NFL’s forgotten free agent won’t be forgotten very much longer.

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