Saints UDFA could be a sneaky pick to win a starting role

Not many soon-to-be rookies in the NFL get to go to their team of choice. However, that is not the case for former Texas kicker Mason Shipley, who signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent.

Texas wasn't Shipley's first school, and it wasn't even his second. A two-time walk-on (Oklahoma State then Texas State), it wasn't until college football's 2024 offseason that he didn't have to do such a thing. That means that he knows a thing or two about fighting for a spot to play, and it honestly might've been the main reason that Saints called him.

Although Shipley did make 48 of 48 extra point attempts and 83% of his field goals last season, that had to have been a factor in the Saints calling him. Either way, it seems like the Saints got their kicker of choice as well. In an interview with Matt Moscona of After Further Review, he said that it took less than a minute for his phone to start ringing once the draft was over.

Saints K Mason Shipley is ready to compete for a spot on the roster

The Saints do already have a kicker in Charlie Smyth; however, the Irishman has yet to make the position his. He showed the power but not necessarily all the accuracy in 2025. None of his missed attempts falling short, but they did drift to the right or left. Making 75% of his field goal attempts, which was fourth worst among active kickers last season, isn't going to cut it.

That's what paved the way for Shipley signing here in the first place, according to Shipley himself. In that same interview with Matt Moscona, he indicated that the lack of an official kicker in New Orleans helped him in his decisions.

"When you think about the NFL, everywhere you go as a UDFA or a kicker, you're going to have competition. You're going to have somebody to beat out, and that's just how it is," Shipley said. "As a kicker, I think it's an opportunity not only just to compete but also to play."

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