Ryan Succop

Ryan Barrow Succop (born September 19, 1986) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina and was the 2009 Mr. Irrelevant by virtue of being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the final pick of the 2009 NFL draft. Succop has also played for the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Buccaneers, he was the starting placekicker in their 31–9 victory over the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV, becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to play and win a Super Bowl as a starter and an active player.

Early life
Succop attended Hickory High School in Hickory, North Carolina. He was a four-time all-conference and two-time all-state performer, and was named a three-time conference special teams Player of the Year. Succop also played soccer, where he was a three-time all-state selection and scored 104 career goals. He was rated the fourth-best kicker in the nation and the sixteenth-best prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com.

College career
Succop attended the University of South Carolina. He performed kicking, punting, and kickoff duties for the Gamecocks. Succop's 251 career points ranks 10th on South Carolina's all-time list.

In 2005, as a freshman, Succop was the kickoff specialist and backup placekicker behind Josh Brown. Succop kicked off 59 times for a 62.3 yard average with 29 touchbacks. He had two field goal attempts, missing both.

In 2006, as a sophomore, Succop was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after a game where he was 3-for-3 on field goals against Mississippi State. Succop handled the kicking and punting duties for the Gamecocks during his sophomore and senior seasons. He scored 85 points in 2006, which led the team and was the third-highest single-season total in school history. Succop also earned second-team All-SEC honors and was named a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award.

In 2007, as a junior, Succop was named an Associated Press honorable mention All-SEC selection. He also earned SEC first-team preseason honors as a placekicker by the media. Succop was a second-team selection by the coaches and earned preseason second-team All-SEC honors as a punter by both the media and coaches. He was once again a Lou Groza Award candidate, and Succop was also named to the Ray Guy Award watch list. He went 13-for-17 in field goal attempts, earning SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after making all three field goals in a game.

As a senior, Succop participated in all thirteen games and connected on 20 of 30 field goals, which was good enough for fourth in the SEC in percentage but was the most in both attempts and makes. Succop also converted all 30 extra point attempts and was 20-of-30 on field goal attempts.

2009 season
Succop was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs as the final selection, 256th overall, of the 2009 NFL draft, earning him the title of Mr. Irrelevant. Succop said of being drafted last, "I didn't choose to be Mr. Irrelevant. It just worked out that way. I'm just trying not to get caught up in it and focus more on the task at hand, which is trying to come in here and help the team. It's not one of those things I really think about too much, to be honest."

Succop and the Chiefs agreed on a three-year deal worth up to $1.2 million on June 17, 2009. Succop competed with Connor Barth for the job until Barth was released in July 2009.

On November 22, 2009, Succop kicked a 22-yard field goal in overtime to give the Chiefs a 27–24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Succop finished his rookie season tying an NFL record for highest field goal percentage by a rookie in a season with 86.2% at the time. He passed Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud for most field goals made by a rookie in Chiefs history at the time. He earned the Chiefs' 2009 Mack Lee Hill Award and scored more points, 104, than any other rookie in the NFL that year. Succop was named to NFL's All-Rookie team his rookie year.

2010 season
On October 31, 2010, Succop made a 35-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired in a 13–10 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills. He finished the season converting all 42 extra point attempts and 20 of 26 field goal attempts.

2011 season
During a Week 4 22–17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Succop converted five field goal attempts and an extra point. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Vikings. In Week 8, Succop made a field goal in overtime to beat the San Diego Chargers. During a Week 14 19–14 victory over the Green Bay Packers, he converted all four field goal attempts and an extra point. He earned his second AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award for his performance against the Packers. Succop converted all 20 extra point attempts and 24 of 30 field goal attempts.

On December 30, 2011, Succop signed a five-year contract extension worth $14 million, which includes $2 million in guaranteed salary.

2012 season
On September 23, 2012, Succop went 6-for-6 and became the Chiefs' all-time leader in field goals en route to a 27–24 overtime road victory over the New Orleans Saints. He finished the season converting all 17 extra point attempts and 28 of 34 of field goal attempts.

2013 season
During a Week 8 23–17 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Succop converted three of four field goal attempts and two extra points. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Browns. On December 29, 2013, Succop missed a 41-yard field goal against the San Diego Chargers with four seconds remaining in regulation. This caused the game to go into overtime and allowed the Chargers to win. Succop finished the 2013 season converting all 52 extra point attempts and 22 of 28 field goal attempts.

On August 30, 2014, Succop was waived during the Chiefs' final preseason cuts in a salary-cap move.

2014 season
Succop was signed by the Tennessee Titans to a one-year contract on September 1, 2014. His first game for the Titans was on September 7 against his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, where Succop made four field goal attempts and converted two extra points in the 26–10 road victory. He finished the season converting all 27 extra point attempts and 19 of 22 field goal attempts.

2015 season
On July 3, 2015, Succop re-signed with the Titans on a three-year, $7.2 million contract. He finished the season converting 29-of-31 on extra point attempts and 14-of-16 on field goal attempts.

2016 season
During a narrow Week 15 19–17 road victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, Succop was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting a game-winning 53-yard field goal in the final seconds. He finished the season converting 39-of-41 extra point attempts and 22-of-24 field goal attempts.

2017 season
Succop won AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September 2017 for going 10-of-11 on field goals, converting eight extra points, and leading the NFL with 38 points. During a Week 6 36–22 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Succop converted all five field goal attempts and set a record for the most consecutive field goals inside 50 yards, earning him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career. In the next game against the Cleveland Browns, Succop kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime during the 12–9 road victory. Succop finished the 2017 season with career highs of 136 points and 35 field goals. His 42 field goal attempts led the league in 2017.

2018 season
On February 20, 2018, Succop signed a five-year, $20 million contract extension with the Titans. Succop finished the 2018 season going 26-of-30 for field goals and 28-of-31 for extra points.

2019 season
After offseason knee surgery, Succop was placed on injured reserve on September 4, 2019. His replacement was Cairo Santos, who replaced Succop in Kansas City in 2014. He was designated for return from injured reserve on October 23, 2019, and began practicing with the team. Succop was added to the active roster on November 2, 2019. He was placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2019, ending his season.

On March 13, 2020, Succop was released by the Titans after six seasons.

2020 season
On September 1, 2020, Succop signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

During a narrow Week 8 25–23 road victory over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, Succop was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts. He was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Giants. Succop was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on December 15, 2020, and activated three days later. During the regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons, he went 3-for-3 on field goals and 5-for-5 on extra point in the 44–27 victory. Succop was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his game against Atlanta. Overall, Succop finished the season going 28-of-31 on -field goals attempts and 52-of-57 on extra points attempts in the 2020 season. He set a franchise record for points scored in a season with 136, breaking Matt Bryant's mark of 131 from 2008.

In Super Bowl LV against his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, Succop went 4-for-4 on extra points and 1-for-1 on field goal attempts in a 31–9 victory, becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to play and win a Super Bowl as a starter and an active player.

2021 season
On March 25, 2021, Succop signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Buccaneers.

During the narrow season-opening 31–29 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Succop made the game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Three weeks later against the New England Patriots, he had another game-winning field goal in the narrow 19–17 road victory. Overall, Succop finished the season going 25-of-30 on field goals attempts and 56-of-59 on extra points attempts in the 2021 season. His extra points made and attempted led the league in the 2021 season.

2022 season
During the season-opening 19–3 road victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Succop went 4-for-5 on field goals and 1-for-1 on extra points. During a Week 16 19–16 overtime road victory over the Arizona Cardinals, he made the game-winning field goal in overtime. Overall, Succop finished 31 of 38 on field goals attempts and 24 of 25 on extra points attempts in the 2022 season.

Succop was released by the Buccaneers on March 23, 2023.

Titans

 * Most consecutive successful field goals from inside 50 yards (56)

Buccaneers

 * Most points scored in a season (136, 2020)

Personal life
Succop and his wife, Paige, got married in 2011. They have three children: Connor, Reece, and Sawyer.