The Atlanta Falcons today announced that they have signed kicker Matt Bryant to a contract extension.
Bryant, 5-9, 203 pounds, was signed by the Falcons as a free agent at the end of the 2009 season after spending time with the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Since joining the Falcons, Bryant has been one of the most consistent place kickers in the NFL converting on 88.6 percent of his field goal attempts (148 of 167). During that time, Bryant has become the second leading scorer in franchise history, posting 666 points sitting 140 points shy of Morten Andersen's club record (806).
Last season, Bryant converted 29 of 32 field goal attempts while converting an NFL-best seven kicks from beyond 50 yards. His 90.6 field goal percentage in 2014 was tied for the fifth-best mark in the NFL and his 127 points ranked 12th. Bryant set a career-high with five made field goals in Atlanta's Week 13 win over Arizona. He connected on kicks from 20, 21, 23, 28, and 45 yards, tying K Morten Andersen and five other players with the second-most field goals made in a single game in franchise history.
Bryant was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November after leading the NFL in field goals and field goal percentage, connecting on all 14 of his field goal attempts during the month. He was a perfect six for six on kicks of 40 yards-or-longer, including a 44-yard game winner at Carolina in Week 11.
Bryant earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 1 against New Orleans after connecting on a 51-yard field goal to tie the game as time expired in the fourth quarter. He then split the uprights with a 52-yard game winner in overtime. Bryant became just 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 overtime. Dating back to 2013, Bryant has hit 38 consecutive field goals inside 50 yards.
