Matt Bryant
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Steven Matt Bryant (born May 29, 1975), nicknamed "Money Matt", is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...
. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
for the
Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only two private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior to j ...
, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the
AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...
's
Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor American football, indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines, Iowa) ...
in 2000. A
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
er with the Falcons in 2016, he has also been a member of the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
,
Frankfurt Galaxy Two American football franchises have been referred to as the Frankfurt Galaxy: * Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe), active in NFL Europe between 1991 and 2007 * Frankfurt Galaxy (ELF) The Frankfurt Galaxy is an American football team in Frankfurt, ...
,
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
,
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, and
Florida Tuskers Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...
, and is among the most-accurate kickers in NFL history.


Early years

Bryant was born in
Orange, Texas Orange is a city and the county seat of Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 19,324. It is the easternmost city in Texas, located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, and is from Houst ...
. He played
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
and
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
at
Bridge City High School A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...
in
Bridge City, Texas Bridge City is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. It is 100 miles east of Houston, near the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 9,546 at the 2020 Census. The town borders the Neches River and Cow Bayou. It is part of the Beaumont– ...
and holds the record for the longest field goal.


College career

After graduating from high school, Bryant attended
Trinity Valley Community College Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has four campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. About TVCC operates four campuses serving the Texas co ...
in
Athens, Texas Athens is a city and the county seat of Henderson County, Texas, Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 12,857. The city has called itself the "black-eyed pea, Blac ...
where he was two-time
NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...
All-American and a member of the 1994 national championship team. He then signed with
Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...
and later transferred to
Baylor University Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the fir ...
, where he played in the 1997 and 1998 seasons and ranks seventh in the all-time scoring list with 105 points (21
field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
and 42
extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...
s). Bryant's 21 field goals place him fifth in
Bears Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the North ...
history. He set the school record with a 100 percent success rate when he made 42-of-42 extra points. After graduating from Baylor, Bryant went
undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
and worked at a
pawn shop A pawnbroker is an individual or business (pawnshop or pawn shop) that offers secured loans to people, with items of personal property used as collateral. The items having been ''pawned'' to the broker are themselves called ''pledges'' or ...
, then as a
personal trainer A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...
. He was named to the 1990s Baylor All-Decade Team following his collegiate career.


College statistics


Professional career


Iowa Barnstormers

After not being selected in the
1999 NFL Draft The 1999 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17–18, 1999, at the Theater at M ...
, Bryant signed with
Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor American football, indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines, Iowa) ...
of the
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
on November 17, 1999, after the 1999 season, but he was cut on April 4, 2000, before the regular season began.


New York Giants

On January 9, 2002, Bryant signed with the NFL's
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, who allocated him to the
NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...
's
Berlin Thunder The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe. History The Thunder came into existence as an expansion team, after the London/England Monarchs franchise shut down operations, prior to the 1999 season. Home games f ...
on March 15. On March 30, the Thunder placed Bryant on injured reserve, and the Thunder cut Bryant on May 10. The Giants then reassigned Bryant to the
Frankfurt Galaxy Two American football franchises have been referred to as the Frankfurt Galaxy: * Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe), active in NFL Europe between 1991 and 2007 * Frankfurt Galaxy (ELF) The Frankfurt Galaxy is an American football team in Frankfurt, ...
. Bryant never played for either NFL Europe team due to a
quadriceps The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...
injury.


2002 season

On September 5, he made his NFL debut against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. He converted two field goal attempts and one extra point attempt in the 16–13 loss. In Week 3, against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, Bryant was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In the 9–6 victory, he was responsible for all of the Giants' points on three field goals. In Week 11, against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
, Bryant earned another NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award by converting four field goals and an extra point in the 19–17 victory. In Week 17, he had a 39-yard game-winning field goal in overtime of the 10–7 victory over the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. He converted 30-of-32 extra point attempts and 26-of-32 field goal attempts in his rookie season. He made his playoff debut in the Giants' 39–38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round. In the game, he converted five extra points and one of two field goal attempts.


2003 season

In the 2003 season, Bryant appeared in the first four games before suffering a hamstring injury. During that stretch, he converted an overtime game-winning field goal against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in Week 3. He returned to the team in Week 11 against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. Overall, he appeared in 11 games and converted all 17 extra point attempts and made 11-of-14 field goal attempts.


2004 season

On July 30, 2004, Bryant was cut by new coach
Tom Coughlin Thomas Richard Coughlin ( ; born August 31, 1946) is a former American football coach and executive. He was the head coach for the New York Giants from 2004 to 2015. He led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, both time ...
.


Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins

Bryant signed with the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
on August 17, 2004, and was cut on September 5, 2004. He later played one week with the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
and then three weeks with the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
. On the season, he converted all 12 extra point attempts and three field goals on four attempts.


Tampa Bay Buccaneers


2005 season

Bryant was signed as a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
prior to the 2005 season. In Week 16, against the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
, he had a game-winning 41-yard field goal in overtime of the 27–24 victory. In the 2005 season, he appeared in 14 games and converted all 31 extra point attempts and 21-of-25 field goal attempts. Bryant and the Buccaneers made the playoffs where they were eliminated by the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in the Wild Card Round by a score of 17–10.


2006 season

On October 22, in Week 7, Bryant successfully converted a 62-yard field goal as time expired in Tampa Bay's 23–21 victory over the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. In addition to the 62-yarder, he converted two other field goals and two extra points and earned his third career NFC Special Teams Player of the Week nomination. The game-winning field goal was the second longest in NFL history at the time, behind the 63-yard field goals kicked by
Tom Dempsey Thomas John Dempsey (January 12, 1947April 4, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Oilers and ...
in 1970 and
Jason Elam Jason Elam (born March 8, 1970) is a former American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons with the Broncos and two with the Atlanta Falcons. A three-time Pro B ...
in 1998. On October 23, in response to his 62-yard field goal, Mayor
Pam Iorio Pamela Dorothy Iorio (born April 27, 1959) is an American politician and author, who served as mayor of Tampa, Florida from 2003 to 2011. Early life, education, and family Iorio moved with her family to Temple Terrace as an infant and attended H ...
declared October 23 to be "Matt Bryant Day" in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
. In the 2006 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Buccaneers' 4–12 season. On the season, he converted 22-of-23 extra point attempts and 17-of-22 field goal attempts.


2007 season

In the 2007 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Buccaneers' 9–7 season and one playoff game. In Week 6, against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, he converted a game-winning 43-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining in the 13–10 victory. On the season, he converted all 34 extra point attempts and 28-of-33 field goal attempts. In the Wild Card Round against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, Bryant converted both extra point attempts in the 24–14 loss.


2008 season

In the 2008 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Buccaneers' 9–7 season. In Week 3, against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
, he had a game-winning 21-yard field goal in overtime of the 27–24 victory. In Week 4, against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Bryant earned his fourth career NFC Special Teams Player of the Week nomination. In the 30–21 victory, he converted three field goal attempts and three extra point attempts. On the season, he converted 35-of-36 extra point attempts and 32-of-38 field goal attempts. For the first time in his NFL career, he finished in the top five players in total scoring, landing in fourth place with 131 points. On September 5, 2009, the Buccaneers released Bryant and replaced him with
Mike Nugent Michael Nugent (born March 2, 1982) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for Ohio State University, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round o ...
.


Florida Tuskers

Prior to the start of the 2009 season, the
Florida Tuskers Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...
of the United Football League signed Bryant to a contract.


Atlanta Falcons


2009 season

Bryant was signed by the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
on December 1, 2009, to replace veteran
Jason Elam Jason Elam (born March 8, 1970) is a former American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons with the Broncos and two with the Atlanta Falcons. A three-time Pro B ...
. He appeared in five games of the Falcons' 9–7 season. In Week 14, against the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, he had his best scoring performance of the season. In the 26–23 loss, he converted all three field goal attempts and both extra point attempts. On the season, he converted all 10 extra point attempts and 7-of-10 field goal attempts.


2010 season

In the 2010 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Falcons' 13–3 season and one playoff game. In Week 4, against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Bryant earned his fifth career NFC Special Teams Player of the Week nomination. In the 16–14 victory, he converted three field goal attempts and one extra point attempt. The last of the three field goals was a go-ahead 43-yard attempt that left only two seconds remaining. In Week 12, against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Bryant converted a go-ahead 47-yard field goal with only nine seconds remaining in the 20–17 victory. On the season, he converted all 44 extra point attempts and 28-of-31 field goal attempts. For the second time in his career, he finished in the top five players in scoring with 128 points scored. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Bryant converted all three extra points in the 48–21 loss to the Green Bay Packers.


2011 season

In the 2011 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Falcons' 10–6 season. In Week 4, against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, he had his best scoring performance of the season. He converted all three field goal attempts and all three extra point attempts in the 30–28 victory. On the season, he converted all 45 extra point attempts and 27-of-29 field goal attempts.


2012 season

In the 2012 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Falcons' 13–3 season and two playoff games. In the season opener against the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...
, he converted all four field goal attempts and all four extra point attempts in the 40–24 victory. In Week 4, against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, he converted a game-winning 40-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to win 30–28. In Week 6, against the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
, he converted a game-winning 55-yard field goal with one second remaining to help the Falcons win 23–20. On the season, he converted all 44 extra point attempts and 33-of-38 field goal attempts. He finished a then career-best third in the league in scoring with 143 points scored. In the Divisional Round against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, Bryant kicked a game-winning 49-yard field goal to send the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game with a 30–28 victory. In the
NFC Championship The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
, he converted three extra point attempts and one field goal attempt as the Falcons fell 28–24 to the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
.


2013 season

In the 2013 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Falcons' 4–12 season. One highlight in the season for Bryant was in Week 13 against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
. He converted a 36-yard game winning field goal in overtime of the 34–31 victory. On the season, he converted all 39 extra point attempts and 24-of-27 field goal attempts.


2014 season

In the 2014 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Falcons' 6–10 season. On September 7, 2014, in the season opener, Bryant became the fourth player in NFL history to kick a 50+yard field goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation to force overtime in addition to converting a 50+ game-winning field goal in a 37–34 overtime victory against the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
at the
Georgia Dome The Georgia Dome was a domed stadium in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west, it was owned and operated by the State of Georgia as part of the Georgia World Congress Center ...
. In recognition of his performance, he was named as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the sixth time in his career. On September 18, in a 56–14 victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
on ''Thursday Night Football'', he converted a career-high eight extra points on eight attempts in Week 3. On November 9, in the other divisional game against the Buccaneers in Week 10, Bryant was four-for-four on field goals. He also made two extra points which pushed him over the 600 point mark (601), making him the second player in Atlanta Falcon history to reach 600 points. On November 16, in Week 11 against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, Bryant was four-of-four on field goals again. This marked the tenth time in his career that he made four field goals in a single game. On November 30, against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, Bryant connected on a career-high five field goals on five attempts in Week 13. Along with two extra points in the game, he had a career-high 17 points scored. On the season, he converted all 40 extra point attempts and 29-of-32 field goal attempts. In recognition of his successful 2014 season, Bryant was named to
Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
's First-team.


2015 season

In the offseason, the Falcons signed Bryant to a three-year contract extension. In the 2015 season, Bryant appeared in 10 games of the Falcons' 8–8 season. On September 14, 2015, Bryant kicked a game-winning 47-yard field goal in the season opener against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
on ''Monday Night Football''. He was responsible for 14 total points scored in the 26–24 win. On October 11, 2015, in Week 5, Bryant only connected on two of his four field goal attempts against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
. His streak of 28 straight made field goals was the second-longest in team history behind his stretch of 30 consecutive field goals between 2010 and 2011. In addition, his streak of consecutive field goals made inside 50 yards ended at 46 straight. On October 15, 2015, in Week 6, Bryant connected on all three of his extra point attempts against the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, becoming the second player in franchise history to eclipse 700-career points joining kicker
Morten Andersen Morten Andersen (born 19 August 1960), nicknamed the "Great Dane", is a Danish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons, most notably with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. F ...
(806). On December 11, 2015, Bryant was placed on injured reserve with a quad injury. The Falcons signed
Shayne Graham Michael Shayne Graham (born December 9, 1977) is an American football coach and former placekicker. Graham played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. He made his professional debut in Ma ...
to finish up the season in place of Bryant. On the season, he appeared in ten games and converted all 26 extra point attempts and 14-of-18 field goal attempts.


2016 season

In the 2016 season, Bryant appeared in all 16 games of the Falcons' 11–5 season and all three playoff games. In Week 8, against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, he converted three extra point attempts and two field goal attempts in the 33–32 victory. In the game, he passed Morten Andersen for the franchise record for career points scored with his 807th point scored. Bryant was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October after converting 11-of-12 field goals and all 17 extra points. In Week 16, in the 33–16 victory over the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
on
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
, he converted four of five field goal attempts and three extra point attempts. For the seventh time in his NFL career, he was named as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. On the season, he converted 56-of-57 extra point attempts and 34-of-37 field goal attempts. In all, he was responsible for a career-high and league-high 158 points scored for the Falcons in 2016. It was the first time in Bryant's career that he won the scoring title. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, he converted all four extra point attempts and both field goal attempts in the 36–20 victory. In the
NFC Championship The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
, in the final NFL game at the Georgia Dome, he converted five of six extra point attempts and one field goal attempt in the 44–21 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Bryant appeared in his first career Super Bowl in
Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confer ...
against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. He became the third-oldest player in NFL history to appear in a Super Bowl, behind
Matt Stover John Matthew Stover (born January 27, 1968) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. After five seasons for the Cleveland Browns, he was amon ...
and
Jeff Feagles Jeffrey Allan Feagles (born March 7, 1966) is a former American football punter who played in the National Football League (NFL) for twenty-two seasons. He played college football for the University of Miami. He was originally signed by the Ne ...
. Late in the fourth quarter of the game, the Patriots trailed 28–20 and the Falcons had the ball on the New England 23-yard line. Well-within Bryant's field goal range, quarterback Matt Ryan took a 12-yard sack, and they lost 10 more yards on the next play due to a holding penalty from offensive lineman Jake Matthews. The drawbacks forced the Falcons to punt and prevented Bryant from potentially putting the Falcons up two possessions late in the fourth quarter. The Falcons went on to lose 34–28 in overtime. Bryant converted all four of his extra point attempts in the Super Bowl. In recognition of his successful season, Bryant earned a Pro Bowl nomination for the first time in his career and Pro Football Focus named him to their Second-team.


2017 season

In Week 2, in the 34–23 victory over the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Bryant recorded a 51-yard field goal in the second quarter for the first field goal in the history of the new
Mercedes-Benz Stadium Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Opened in August 2017 as a replacement for the Georgia Dome, it serves as the home stadium of the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) ...
. In the game, he converted all four extra point attempts and both field goal attempts. In the same game, Bryant became the first player in franchise history to convert 200 field goals. In Week 14, in the 20–17 victory over the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
, Bryant scored his 1,000th career point, becoming the first player in franchise history to reach the mark. In Week 17, Bryant went 5-for-5 on field goals, including a 56-yarder, in a 22–10 win over the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, clinching a playoff spot for the Falcons, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In the 2017 season, Bryant converted all 35 extra point attempts and 34 of 39 field goal attempts. In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Bryant converted all four field goal attempts and both extra point attempts in the 26–13 victory over the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
.


2018 season

On March 5, 2018, Bryant signed a three-year contract extension with the Falcons through the 2020 season. In the season opener against the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
on ''Thursday Night Football'', Bryant missed his first extra point attempt on the season but converted two field goals in the 18–12 loss. In the next five games, he converted all 16 extra point attempts and all seven field goal attempts. In the Week 6 against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, he suffered a hamstring injury after converting a 57-yard field goal to help seal the game. He was forced to sit out the next week's game against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. He finished the 2018 season converting 33 of 35 extra point attempts and 20 of 21 field goal attempts. On February 6, 2019, Bryant was released by the Falcons after ten seasons.


2019 season

On August 31, 2019, Bryant re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year, $3 million deal following preseason struggles by
Giorgio Tavecchio Giorgio Tavecchio (born July 16, 1990), nicknamed "Italian Ice", is a placekicker for the Barcelona Dragons of the European League of Football. He was born in Milan, Italy and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Francisco 49ers in 2 ...
and
Blair Walsh Blair Richard Walsh (born January 8, 1990) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. Walsh played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Vikings in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. In his first year, Walsh set ...
. He was released on October 29, 2019. He finished the 2019 season converting 14 of 15 extra point attempts and nine of 14 field goal attempts.


Records


Atlanta Falcons franchise records

*Most points scored, career: 1,168 *Most points scored, single season: 158 *Most extra points made and attempted, career: 56 and 57 *Most extra points made and attempted, single season: 386 and 390 *Most field goals made and attempted, career: 259 and 296


NFL career statistics


Personal life

Bryant participated in 2002
United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...
Hometown Huddle by conducting a football clinic at the Highbridge Center for members of Alianza Dominicana, a local United Way agency that services families in Washington Heights. He visited the Keller Army Community Hospital at
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
to participate in the Foundation for Hospital Art's Paintfest 2003. Bryant drinks a chocolate milkshake on the night before each of his football games. He also is known for squeezing his size 10.5 foot into a size 9 kicking shoe for games, believing that curling his foot to strike the ball in the same way that someone makes a fist with his hand before punching increases his distance and accuracy. Matt is married to Melissa. The couple has seven children and they reside in
Orange Beach, Alabama Orange Beach is a resort city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 8,095. Geography Orange Beach is located along the Gulf of Mexico, and is the easternmost community on Alabama's Gulf Coast, with ...
. On September 24, 2008, their youngest son Tryson died in his sleep, age three months, apparently from
sudden infant death syndrome Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden unexplained death of a child of less than one year of age. Diagnosis requires that the death remain unexplained even after a thorough autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. SIDS usuall ...
(SIDS). Despite that tragedy, a day after his son's funeral, he returned to play and kicked three field goals for the team to beat the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, having kicked the game-winning field goal the week before against
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in overtime. After the season, Matt and Melissa established the Matthew Tryson Bryant Foundation to raise awareness for SIDS. Proceeds go to the
March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to comba ...
. In 2009, Bryant was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast, in the museum's Sports Hall of Fame. In the 2015 offseason, Bryant gave some time to families from TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), a national non-profit that provides care for families that have lost loved ones that served in the armed forces. He gave them a tour of downtown Atlanta and hosted them to dinner.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Matt 1975 births Living people American football placekickers Atlanta Falcons players Baylor Bears football players Florida Tuskers players Indianapolis Colts players Miami Dolphins players New York Giants players Oregon State Beavers football players People from Bridge City, Texas People from Orange, Texas Players of American football from Texas Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Trinity Valley Cardinals football players National Conference Pro Bowl players People from Orange Beach, Alabama Iowa Barnstormers players Frankfurt Galaxy players Berlin Thunder players Dallas Cowboys players United Service Organizations entertainers Ed Block Courage Award recipients