# Matt Bryant
**Matt Bryant** is a former [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) placekicker who played in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) from 2002 to 2019, finishing his career as the all-time leading scorer in [Atlanta Falcons](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-falcons) franchise history with 1,122 points.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season) Known by the nickname "Money Matt" for his game-winning kicks, he played for the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Falcons.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Career span | 2002–2019; 241 games with five teams[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career) |
| Career field goals | 397 made on 464 attempts, 85.6 percent[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career) |
| Falcons scoring leader | 1,122 points, the most by any player in franchise history; 158 points in 2016 is a Falcons single-season record[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season) |
| Longest kicks | 62 yards with Tampa Bay in 2006 (career long); 59 yards against Kansas City on Dec. 4, 2016, the longest in Falcons history[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season) |
| Entry | 2002 undrafted free agent with the New York Giants, after attending Baylor[3](https://overthecap.com/player/matt-bryant/822) |
| Career earnings | $31,350,736[3](https://overthecap.com/player/matt-bryant/822) |
| Historical rank | 21st in career field goal percentage (85.560%) among kickers since 1938[4](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/fg_perc_career.htm) |
## Early career
Bryant entered the NFL in 2002 as an undrafted free agent signed by the [New York Giants](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-giants), and he kicked for the Giants in 2002 and 2003.[3](https://overthecap.com/player/matt-bryant/822) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career) His 2002 season included 26 field goals on 32 attempts (81.2 percent).[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career) He then moved briefly through [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis), where he played one game in 2004 without a made field goal, and Miami, where he made all three attempts in three games that year.[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career)
**Tampa Bay years.** Bryant signed with the [Tampa Bay Buccaneers](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay-buccaneers) in 2005 and kicked there for four seasons.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season) In 2006 he made a career-long 62-yard field goal.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season) His best statistical season in Tampa came in 2008, when he made 32 of 38 field goals (84.2 percent) in 16 games.[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career) During his first eight NFL seasons he earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors four times.[5](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579190820/patriots/kwqxlis9zu0ipkugy3el.pdf)
## Atlanta Falcons (2009–2018)
The Falcons signed Bryant on December 2, 2009, to take over the placekicking duties, and what was expected to be a temporary fix for a shaky kicking situation became an eleven-season tenure.[5](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579190820/patriots/kwqxlis9zu0ipkugy3el.pdf) • [6](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/model-of-consistency-7832143) He left the team as its all-time leading scorer with 1,122 points, and he holds franchise records for most points in a season (158, set in 2016), most point-after touchdowns (372), and field goals made.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season) For his Falcons career he connected on 259 of 296 field goal attempts, an 87.5 percent success rate.[7](https://www.nfl.com/news/atlanta-falcons-release-longtime-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001071101)
His accuracy improved with age: at 39 years old in 2014 he made 29 of 32 field goals (90.6 percent), and in 2018, at 43, he made 20 of 21 (95.2 percent) with a long of 57 yards against [Tampa Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay).[2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career) • [1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season) In 2017 he made eight field goals of 50 or more yards, the highest single-season total of his career, and signed a three-year contract extension that March.[8](https://as.com/us/us/2018/03/06/nfl/1520296422_144301.html)
**Memorable kicks.** The Falcons' own retrospective lists several defining moments:[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season)
- 2010: a 46-yard field goal in overtime on the road against the Saints.
- 2012: a 55-yard game-winner against the Raiders that preserved Atlanta's undefeated season.
- 2013: a 49-yard game-winner in a 30-28 playoff win over Seattle, which gave quarterback [Matt Ryan](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-ryan) the first playoff win of his career and was Atlanta's first postseason victory in eight years.[9](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/grady-jarrett-and-matt-bryant-named-falcons-unanimous-all-decade-selections) • [10](https://operations.nfl.com/media/4115/2019-postseason_media_guide.pdf)
- 2014: a 51-yarder as time expired to tie the season opener against New Orleans, followed by a 52-yarder in overtime to win it.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season)
- 2016: the franchise-record 59-yard field goal against Kansas City, and the extra points against Green Bay that made him the franchise's all-time leading scorer.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season)
- 2018: a 37-yard game-winner against Tampa Bay in the season finale, his last kick as a Falcon.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season)
Bryant and defensive lineman Grady Jarrett were the only unanimous selections to the Falcons' all-decade team for the 2010s, Bryant for special teams.[9](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/grady-jarrett-and-matt-bryant-named-falcons-unanimous-all-decade-selections) He was also the Falcons' Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in both 2013 and 2014.[1](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season)
## Super Bowl LI and late career
Bryant kicked for Atlanta in [Super Bowl LI](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-li), in which the Falcons built a 25-point lead before the Patriots drove for the game-tying score in regulation and the winning score in overtime, completing the largest comeback in [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) history.[11](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nfl/news/matt-bryant-falcons-kicker-nfl-playoffs-eagles-divisional-round-age-distance-buccaneers/1uk4qmfw1eapt134mstrag4o3z) In the 2016 and 2017 seasons combined, Bryant attempted 17 kicks of 50-plus yards, his highest total over any two-year span of his career.[11](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nfl/news/matt-bryant-falcons-kicker-nfl-playoffs-eagles-divisional-round-age-distance-buccaneers/1uk4qmfw1eapt134mstrag4o3z)
The Falcons parted ways with Bryant in February 2019, declining his team option after a decade; releasing him saved $2.83 million against the 2019 salary cap with $1.33 million in dead money.[12](https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-part-ways-with-veteran-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001017154) Owner Arthur Blank called him "one of the greatest Falcons of all time."[12](https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-part-ways-with-veteran-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001017154) Atlanta then re-signed him before the 2019 season on a one-year deal worth $3 million, but his season was marred by misses, including a failed extra point that would have tied a one-point loss to Arizona and two missed field goals from 50-plus yards against Seattle.[13](https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-bring-back-longtime-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001045877) • [7](https://www.nfl.com/news/atlanta-falcons-release-longtime-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001071101) The Falcons released him in October 2019 and signed [Younghoe Koo](https://www.edgepedia.org/younghoe-koo); Bryant finished the year 9 of 14 on field goals (64.3 percent) and 14 of 15 on extra points in seven games.[7](https://www.nfl.com/news/atlanta-falcons-release-longtime-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001071101) • [2](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career)
## Analytical view
Modern kicking metrics place Bryant among the more valuable kickers of his era. In a Bruin Sports Analytics study of kickers from 2000 to 2023 using win probability added (WPA), which measures how much a kicker's kicks increased his team's chance of winning, Bryant ranked seventh with 4.62 wins of probability added, behind [Justin Tucker](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-tucker) (6.05), [Robbie Gould](https://www.edgepedia.org/robbie-gould) (5.65), Josh Brown (5.25), [Adam Vinatieri](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-vinatieri) (4.91), Matt Prater (4.89), and Sebastian Janikowski (4.70).[14](https://www.bruinsportsanalytics.org/journalism/evaluating-nfl-kicker-performance) His career field goal percentage of 85.560 percent ranks 21st among kickers since 1938.[4](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/fg_perc_career.htm)
## References
1. [Longtime Falcons kicker Matt Bryant will not return for 2019 season, AtlantaFalcons.com](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/longtime-falcons-kicker-matt-bryant-will-not-return-for-2019-season)
2. [Matt Bryant Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/matt-bryant/stats/career)
3. [Matt Bryant Contract Details, Over The Cap](https://overthecap.com/player/matt-bryant/822)
4. [NFL Field Goal % Career Leaders (since 1938), Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/fg_perc_career.htm)
5. [Preseason Week 2 vs New England game release, NFL.com clubs media](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/v1579190820/patriots/kwqxlis9zu0ipkugy3el.pdf)
6. [Model Of Consistency, AtlantaFalcons.com](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/model-of-consistency-7832143)
7. [Atlanta Falcons release longtime kicker Matt Bryant, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/atlanta-falcons-release-longtime-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001071101)
8. [Matt Bryant firma extensión por tres años con los Falcons, AS.com](https://as.com/us/us/2018/03/06/nfl/1520296422_144301.html)
9. [Grady Jarrett and Matt Bryant named Falcons' unanimous all-decade selections, AtlantaFalcons.com](https://www.atlantafalcons.com/news/grady-jarrett-and-matt-bryant-named-falcons-unanimous-all-decade-selections)
10. [2019 Postseason Media Guide, NFL Operations](https://operations.nfl.com/media/4115/2019-postseason_media_guide.pdf)
11. [Matt Bryant, NFL golden oldie, not done adding chapters to story, Sporting News](https://www.sportingnews.com/ca/nfl/news/matt-bryant-falcons-kicker-nfl-playoffs-eagles-divisional-round-age-distance-buccaneers/1uk4qmfw1eapt134mstrag4o3z)
12. [Falcons part ways with veteran kicker Matt Bryant, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-part-ways-with-veteran-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001017154)
13. [Falcons bring back longtime kicker Matt Bryant, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/falcons-bring-back-longtime-kicker-matt-bryant-0ap3000001045877)
14. [Evaluating NFL Kicker Performance, Bruin Sports Analytics](https://www.bruinsportsanalytics.org/journalism/evaluating-nfl-kicker-performance)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Placekickers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license