Ryan Fitzgerald returns to Panthers camp determined to turn clutch moments into stability

When the Carolina Panthers open the next stretch of work this summer, they will do so with a kicker who already has a resume built on pressure kicks. Ryan Fitzgerald, an undrafted rookie who earned the kicking job after training camp competition, is heading into his second year with the kind of early-career confidence that comes from having already produced late-game swings.

Carolina’s faith was not automatic. Fitzgerald arrived last year without guarantees, competing for the role against a veteran in camp before ultimately winning the job. The payoff was immediate enough to change how the team planned end-of-game execution, particularly in field-goal situations that often arrive with little room for margin.

Fitzgerald’s rookie season gave the Panthers tangible evidence of what they were getting. In 2025, he tied for the league lead in game-winning field goals, finishing with four game-winners. That total is unusual for any kicker, and the team’s release highlighted how rare it is even in a broader historical context: since 2000, only one rookie has matched that four-game-winner mark, with only a handful of rookies reaching three game-winners in a season.

The specific timeline matters because it shows more than one isolated moment. Fitzgerald’s first game-winner came against the Dallas Cowboys, a kick that, by Carolina’s description, helped him climb from “win the job, keep the job, perform well” to a steadier in-season rhythm. He followed with another set of winners on the road, connecting at Green Bay and then at Atlanta, before adding a critical December game-winner against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In interviews connected to the Panthers’ offseason coverage, Fitzgerald described his rookie year as a continuous sprint rather than a settled stretch. He said the mental workload was constant in pursuit of job security and performance, and that getting the first game-winner under his belt helped him adjust to the rhythm of the NFL. The team also pointed to a “whirlwind” learning curve, with the takeaway being that the earliest wins brought a form of validation that the rest of the season could build on.

Now, Fitzgerald is trying to apply what worked without assuming it will repeat automatically. The Panthers’ story frames this offseason as a strengthening period, when the objective is not only to make kicks but to develop repeatable preparation for late-game situations. It also includes a personal timeline element, with the release noting that a year from that moment he was looking toward a major life step, which helps explain his focus on settling into long-term routine.

For Panthers fans, the practical question is straightforward: will Fitzgerald’s second-year approach translate his rookie-clutch reputation into another season of reliable scoring decisions? The team has already shown it values his late-game role, and his 2025 production gives Carolina a reason to structure key possessions around the expectation that the kick is there when the game tightens. The next watch items are simple, too: consistency in routine field-goal accuracy and calm execution when conditions and game plans become more complicated.

Carolina’s kickoff of that work will happen with the same fundamental theme that defined his first year, but with more background knowledge. He knows what it feels like to win the job, to handle the stretch run, and to contribute to game outcomes with four game-winners. The goal now is to make those moments less like breakthroughs and more like the baseline. The Panthers will be looking for Fitzgerald to keep that baseline moving forward as training camp progresses.