Former Detroit Lions kicker and NFL journeyman Matthew Wright may be on the lookout for his 10th team in the league after being released by the Carolina Panthers ahead of the 53-man roster deadline on Tuesday.
An undrafted placekicker out of UCF in 2019, Wright has been on the move every single year of his career, trying to nail down a starting job in the NFL.
Going into the 2025 season, Wright has appeared for six different NFL teams in a game, totaling 29 games and making 55-of-63 field goal attempts and 41-of-43 extra-point trys.
Detroit was an early stop for Wright, signing a 2021 reserve/futures contract after two stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers early on in his career.
Wright never appeared for the Lions and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad in September of that year. He ended up playing in 14 games for the Jaguars, the most he has played for one team in a season.
Over the next four seasons, Wright would compete for the Kansas City Chiefs, Steelers, Panthers, San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans in NFL competition.
He would also sign on to the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots’ practice squads, but never suited up for the team.
A brief 2022 stint with Kansas City where he played two games — and broke what was at the time the Chiefs’ franchise record for longest field goal with a 59-yard make — also earned him a Super Bowl ring, even though he wasn’t on the playoff roster.
Wright joined the Panthers in February 2025 for his third stint with the team, but lost out to rookie Ryan Fitzgerald in a competition for the top role, leading to his release.
Since getting his first opportunity in 2020, Wright has played at least one game every season of his career. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Wright pop up with a practice squad or sign midseason if a team needs a kicker in a pinch.
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