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Panthers Sign former Steelers Kicker
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- Panthers Sign former Steelers Kicker
Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Matthew Wright during a training camp practice on Aug. 12, 2024. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
The Carolina Panthers have signed former Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Matthew Wright to a reserve/future contract, the Panthers announced on Wednesday . Wright will compete with Eddy Pineiro for their starting kicker job in the offseason.
Matthew Wright spent time in Carolina during training camp in 2023 and also in the 2023 season finale, when Piñeiro was hurt.
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Pineiro is set to become an unrestricted free agent, and his future in Carolina is uncertain. So the position could be Wright's.
On November 26, 2024, Wright was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad following an injury to Spencer Shrader . Wright kicked in Kansas City 's Black Friday win over the Las Vegas Raiders , making four of five field goals.The Chiefs then placed Shrader on injured reserve on, making room for Wright.
Regular kicker Harrison Butker , the most accurate kicker in NFL history, was on the injured reserve list since Nov. 14 after suffering a knee injury in practice. Wriht was later released on December 14, 2024, when Butker returned in Week 15 when the Chiefs face against the Cleveland Browns . Wright finished out the 2024 season with the Tennessee Titans , but he was not re-signed.
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It was the third stint with the Chiefs for Wright, but he got his NFL career started with the Steelers, joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of UCF in 2019. He spent most of the 2020 season on the Steelers' practice squad, playing in three games.
He turned that opportunity into a full-time role with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, playing in 14 games. But he was waived the following May and landed in Kansas City. Wright played two games for the Chiefs and then returned to Pittsburgh, where he subbed in for an injured Chris Boswell for four games.
After another brief stint on the Chiefs practice squad, Wright spent time with the Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers , Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots in 2023, playing in one game for Carolina.
Wright signed with the Steelers this April and spent the entire offseason with the team before being released in August . He also spent one game with San Francisco in 2024 before re-joining the Chiefs practice squad on Nov. 26.
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