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Eddy Piñeiro

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Eddy Piñeiro
refer to caption
Piñeiro with the Chicago Bears in 2019
No. 4 – Carolina Panthers
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1995-09-13) September 13, 1995 (age 29)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Miami Sunset (Miami)
College:Florida (2016–2017)
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
NFL record
  • Career field goal percentage: 89.7%
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Field goals made:105
Field goal attempted:117
Field goal %:89.7
Longest field goal:56
Touchbacks:126
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Eddy Piñeiro Jr. (/pɪnˈjɛəroʊ/ pin-YAIR-oh;[1] (born September 13, 1995) is an American professional football placekicker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida, and signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2018 before joining the Chicago Bears the following year. He currently holds the all-time record in career field goal percentage at 89.7%.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Piñeiro was born in Miami, Florida, to a Cuban father and Nicaraguan mother. His father, Eddy Sr., came to the United States from Cuba at the age of nine during the Mariel boatlift of 1980 and later had a professional soccer career with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the ASL/APSL.[3]

Piñeiro started off playing soccer like his father; he was a four-time All-Dade County pick in soccer.[4] Despite having grown up only playing soccer, he joined the Miami Sunset Senior High School football team in his senior season, handling extra points and kickoffs.[4]

College career

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Piñeiro signed with Florida Atlantic on a scholarship to play soccer but academic issues prevented him from attending.[5] His dad encouraged him to try on football cleats and pads but with no football scholarship, Piñeiro went on to play soccer for a small junior college, ASA College.[6] In 2015, Piñeiro went to an open kicking combine at Alabama. Out of hundreds of kickers, Alabama coach Nick Saban narrowed his scholarship offers to Chris Salek and Piñeiro.[7] Piñeiro verbally committed to Alabama,[8] but later tried out for Florida and ultimately chose to play there.[9] Special Teams Coordinator Marc Nudelberg was instrumental in recruiting Piñeiro to UF.[10]

Piñeiro played for the Gators during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.[11] During his final year at Florida, Piñeiro had the best field goal percentage in the nation, making 17 out of 18 attempts for a 94.4% conversion rate.[12][13] His career conversion rate of 88.4% (38-for-43) ranks first in school history (minimum 35 attempts), surpassing Bobby Raymond (who made 43 of 49 kicks, or 87.8%, in 1983 and 1984). Piñeiro's 38 made field goals rank sixth in school history, and his streak of 16 straight made field goals to close the 2017 season tied Jeff Chandler (2001) for the second-longest streak in program history.[12]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
5 ft 11+5⁄8 in
(1.82 m) 		185 lb
(84 kg) 		29+7⁄8 in
(0.76 m) 		8+1⁄4 in
(0.21 m)
All values from Pro Day[14]

Oakland Raiders

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Piñeiro declared for the 2018 NFL draft early after only two seasons with the Gators, only to go undrafted. He signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2018.[15] He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2018.[16]

Chicago Bears

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2019 season

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On May 6, 2019, Piñeiro was traded to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and he was one of nine participants in the Bears' 2019 summer kicking competition to replace Cody Parkey.[17] The tryout was orchestrated by coach Matt Nagy to find a new kicker in the wake of the Bears' "Double-Doink" loss against the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs, when Parkey missed the game-winning field goal when the ball hit the upright and then bounced off the crossbar before falling to the ground.[18]

On August 24, in a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts, Piñeiro connected on field goals from 21 yards and 58 yards away. He also went 2-for-2 on extra points.[19] Piñeiro finished the 2019 preseason connecting on 8 of 9 field goals and 3 of 4 extra points. His misses included a 48-yard field goal attempt against the Carolina Panthers on August 8, 2019, and an extra point attempt that went very wide to the left against the Tennessee Titans on August 29, 2019.[20]

In the first game of the 2019 regular season against the Green Bay Packers, Piñeiro made his first NFL field goal on a 38-yard kick. The field goal ended up being the only points the Bears scored as they lost 10–3.[21] During Week 2, Piñeiro kicked a game-winning 53-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bears a 16–14 win over the Denver Broncos.[22] He also made a 52-yard field goal in the second quarter.[23] For his performance, Piñeiro was named National Football Conference (NFC) Special Teams Player of the Week.[24]

In Week 8, Piñeiro missed two out of five field goal attempts, including a potential game-winning 41-yard attempt as time expired, as the Bears lost to the Los Angeles Chargers 17–16.[25] He missed his first regular-season extra point the following week, when his second of three extra-point attempts sailed wide right. He made his two other extra-point attempts in the Bears' 20–13 win over the Detroit Lions. He had been perfect on his first 15 attempts.[26][27]

In Week 11, Piñeiro missed two field goals in the Bears' three first-quarter possessions during their game against the Los Angeles Rams; the Bears eventually lost 17–7.[28] Nagy commented he would stick with Piñeiro as his kicker, and that he would not bring other kickers in to try out, even though Piñeiro was ranked 31st in the league in field-goal percentage at that point.[29][30]

After missing an extra point (but making his two field goal attempts) in the Bears' Week 12 win over the New York Giants, Piñeiro was perfect in the final five games of the season, including making all nine field goal attempts and all eight extra point attempts. In the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings, he was perfect on one extra point and four field goal attempts, including the game-winning 22-yarder to secure the 21–19 victory.[31]

Piñeiro ended the 2019 season with 23 of 28 field goals made (82.1 percent).[32]

2020 season

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After the 2019 season, both coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace expressed confidence that Piñeiro would be the team's kicker in 2020. "For us, you all know, [kicker] was a huge, huge, big void that we had going into this year," Nagy said. "I feel pretty good that that void is filled. I feel like that's a positive from this year."[33][34][35][36]

In April, the Bears announced that they had signed former Nevada kicker Ramiz Ahmed and intended for Ahmed to compete with Piñeiro for the Bears' 2020 placekicker job. Pace explained, "We see those guys competing. Look, we love Eddy, and we think his future's very bright.... But those two competing against each other is a really good thing."[37]

On August 11, Ahmed was waived, effectively making Piñeiro the Bears' kicker for the 2020 season.[38] However, Piñeiro struggled with a groin injury that prevented him from kicking in training camp and resulted in him being placed on injured reserve on September 8.[39] He remained on injured reserve for the entirety of the 2020 season.

Indianapolis Colts

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Piñeiro signed with the Colts on May 17, 2021,[40] but was waived on August 24, 2021.[41]

Washington Football Team

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Piñeiro signed with the practice squad of the Washington Football Team on September 3, 2021,[42] but was released a week later.

New York Jets

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On December 6, 2021, Piñeiro signed with the New York Jets.[43] He went on go 8-for-8 on field goals and 9-for-10 on extra points and received a restricted free agent tender in 2022. On August 23, 2022, he was released.[44]

Carolina Panthers

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On August 31, 2022, Piñeiro signed with the Panthers following an injury to Zane Gonzalez.[45] In Week 8, Piñeiro missed two potential game-winning kicks against the Atlanta Falcons.[46] In Week 14, Piñeiro had 12 points on three field goals and three extra points in a 30–24 win over the Seahawks, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[47]

Piñeiro re-signed with the Panthers on March 23, 2023.[48]

Piñeiro scored a game winning field goal in Week 15 against the Falcons knocking them out of 1st in the NFC South with a final score of 9–7.[49]

On November 17, 2024, Piñeiro became the NFL's all-time field goal percentage leader during the Panthers' bye week. He had finished the previous week with 101 made field goals in 113 attempts, which is 89.381%. Baltimore's Justin Tucker, who has held the best field goal percentage in NFL History over most of the last ten years, went 1-for-3 in the Ravens' game against the Steelers and his percentage fell from 89.716% to 89.348%.[50]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
NFL record
Bold Career high
Year Team GP Field Goals Extra Points
FGM FGA Lng Pct XPM XPA Pct
2018 OAK 0 Did not play due to injury
2019 CHI 16 23 28 53 82.1 27 29 93.1
2020 CHI 0 Did not play due to injury
2021 NYJ 5 8 8 51 100.0 9 10 90.0
2022 CAR 17 33 35 54 94.3 30 32 93.8
2023 CAR 15 25 29 56 86.2 17 20 85.0
2024 CAR 10 16 17 53 94.1 18 18 100.0
Career 63 105 117 56 89.7 101 109 92.7

Personal life

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Piñeiro is a Christian.[51] In 2017, Piñeiro and his father, Eddy Piñeiro Sr., were awarded the Police Service Award from the Gainesville Police Department for helping a woman escape from a domestic abuser.[52]

Piñeiro is the first player of Nicaraguan descent to play in the NFL. Before the Bears’ October 2019 game against the Raiders in London, Piñeiro received a glass sculpture as a gift from Nicaragua’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.[53]

References

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  1. ^ "Eddy Pineiro Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  2. ^ "NFL Field Goal % Career Leaders (since 1938)". Pro Football Reference.
  3. ^ Carter, Scott (September 9, 2016). "A Kicker's Tale: Eddy Pineiro On His Way With Gators". floridagators.com. University Athletic Association. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "NFL Draft & Combine Profile - Eddy Pineiro". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Aschoff, Edward (December 1, 2016). "How a 'flipping kicker' became a Florida cult hero". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  6. ^ Paskal, Eddie (May 17, 2018). "Eddy Piñeiro Talks Range, Unique Journey To The NFL". Raiders.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  7. ^ Bonilla, Sergio (June 2, 2017). "Former soccer player getting his kicks with Gator football". Miami's Community Newspapers.
  8. ^ Champlin, Drew (June 11, 2015). "Kicker Eddy Pineiro commits to Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  9. ^ Zenitz, Matt (December 15, 2015). "Kicker Eddy Pineiro decommits from Alabama". AL.com. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  10. ^ Interview with Marc Nudelberg for his upcoming book; entry 12.8.21
  11. ^ "Eddy Pineiro". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Eddy Pineiro". floridagators.com. University Athletic Association. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  13. ^ "2017 Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  14. ^ "Eddy Pineiro, Combine Results, K - Florida". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  15. ^ "Raiders Announce Undrafted Free Agent Signings". Raiders.com. May 4, 2018. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "Oakland Raiders announce roster transactions - 9.1.18". Raiders.com. September 1, 2018.
  17. ^ "Sources: Bears trade for Raiders kicker Pineiro". ESPN. May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  18. ^ Kahler, Kalyn (August 21, 2019). "Inside story of the Bears' wild kicker competition". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  19. ^ Finley, Patrick (August 24, 2019). "Bears' Eddy Pineiro makes 58-yard field goal". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  20. ^ Wiltfong Jr., Lester A. (August 9, 2019). "The Fry and Pineiro show". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  21. ^ "Packers D, Aaron Rodgers beat Bears 10-3 in opener". ESPN. Associated Press. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  22. ^ Dickerson, Jeff (September 15, 2019). "Bears' Pineiro boots 53-yard FG to beat Broncos". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  23. ^ Finley, Patrick (September 16, 2019). "Kicker Eddy Pineiro makes 52-yard FG to put Bears ahead". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  24. ^ Gantt, Darin (September 18, 2019). "Eddy Pineiro named NFC special teams player of the week". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  25. ^ "Rivers, Chargers beat Bears 17-16 after Pineiro misses FG". ESPN. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  26. ^ Finley, Patrick (November 10, 2019). "3 takeaways from the Bears' 20-13 win against the Lions". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  27. ^ Biggs, Brad (November 11, 2019). "Brad Biggs' 10 thoughts on the Bears' 20-13 win over the Lions". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  28. ^ "Matt Nagy critical of Eddy Piñeiro after missed kicks vs. Rams: 'You've got to make those kicks'". sports.yahoo.com. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  29. ^ Kane, Colleen (November 18, 2019). "Eddy Pineiro has missed 4 of his last 7 field-goal attempts. But Bears coach Matt Nagy doesn't plan to try out other kickers". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  30. ^ Smith, Michael David (November 18, 2019). "Matt Nagy indicates he'll stick with kicker Eddy Pineiro". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  31. ^ Potash, Mark (December 29, 2019). "Eddy Pineiro gives Bears one less thing to worry about". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  32. ^ Mayer, Larry (December 29, 2019). "Quick Hits: Pineiro finishes with a flourish, Robinson continues to shine". Chicago Bears. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  33. ^ "The least of Bears' offseason problems? Kicking game". NBC Sports Chicago. December 30, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  34. ^ Kane, Dan Wiederer, Rich Campbell, Colleen (January 2020). "Why the Bears are sticking with Eddy Pineiro and 4 other things we learned at Halas Hall this week". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved January 6, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  35. ^ Potash, Mark (December 29, 2019). "Eddy Pineiro gives Bears one fewer thing to worry about". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  36. ^ Chamberlain, Gene (December 24, 2019). "Eddy Pineiro's Run Helps Cement Job for Next Year". Sports Illustrated e. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  37. ^ Lieser, Jason (April 21, 2020). "Kicker drama is back as Bears plan competition between Eddy Pineiro, Ramiz Ahmed". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  38. ^ "Roster Move: Bears waive kicker Ramiz Ahmed". www.chicagobears.com. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  39. ^ Kane, Colleen (September 8, 2020). "Eddy Pineiro will miss at least 3 games after the Bears place the kicker on injured reserve". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  40. ^ "Colts Sign K Eddy Pineiro". Colts.com. May 17, 2021.
  41. ^ "Colts Waive Kicker Eddy Pineiro". Colts.com. August 24, 2021.
  42. ^ "Washington Signs K Eddy Pineiro". WashingtonFootball.com. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  43. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (December 6, 2021). "Jets Sign K Eddy Piñeiro and Release K Alex Kessman". newyorkjets.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  44. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (August 23, 2022). "Jets Release 5 Players to Get Roster to 80". newyorkjets.com.
  45. ^ Gantt, Darin (August 31, 2022). "Eddy Piñeiro agrees to terms on one-year deal". Panthers.com.
  46. ^ Dawglb (October 30, 2022). "Eddy Piñeiro, former Florida K, misses 2 potential game-winning kicks for Carolina Panthers against Atlanta Falcons". Saturday Down South. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  47. ^ Gordon, Grant (December 14, 2022). "Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, Rams QB Baker Mayfield highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  48. ^ Stone, Augusta (March 23, 2023). "Panthers bring back kicker Eddy Piñeiro". Panthers.com.
  49. ^ theScore (December 17, 2023). "Pineiro's field goal gives Panthers 9-7 win over Falcons…". thescore.com.
  50. ^ Rizzuti, Anthony (November 17, 2024). "Panthers' Eddy Piñeiro is now NFL's most accurate FG kicker ever . . . and he didn't even play this week". Panthers.com.
  51. ^ Mercer, Kevin (September 16, 2019). "Chicago Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro nails 53-yard game-winner, says Jesus is real". Sports Spectrum.
  52. ^ Rollins, Khadrice (January 22, 2018). "Kicker Eddy Pineiro saved a woman from being assaulted". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  53. ^ Wiederer, Rich Campbell, Colleen Kane, Dan (October 4, 2019). "4 things we learned about the Bears at Friday's practice in London, including Akiem Hicks' upgraded status and Chase Daniel's cherry juice trick". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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