Szmyt signed his exclusive-rights free-agent tender with the Browns on Monday. Szmyt had a successful first NFL campaign last season, converting 24 of 27 field-goal attempts (including 5-for-6 from 50-plus yards) and 25 of 26 extra-point tries. He didn't miss a field goal following the Browns' Week 9 bye, going 14-for-14 over the team's final nine games. Szmyt will head into training camp as Cleveland's clear primary kicker.
The Browns extended Szmyt an exclusive rights free agent tender Wednesday. Szmyt will return to Cleveland on a one-year deal for 2026, an unsurprising transaction after his solid 2025 campaign with the team. Across 17 regular-season appearances in 2025, Szmyt converted 24 of 27 field-goal attempts and 25 of 26 on extra-point tries. He projects to reprise his role as the Browns' top placekicker in 2026, though unless the team's offense can take a notable step forward under new head coach Todd Monken, it will be difficult for Szmyt to see the type of scoring opportunities required to be a difference-maker for fantasy purposes.
Szmyt went 24-for-27 on field-goal attempts and 25-for-26 on extra-point tries across 17 games with the Browns in 2025. Szmyt did not kick in a regular-season game in two years after joining the league in May of 2023. However, he managed beat out Dustin Hopkins for the Browns' starting kicking job for 2025 after a strong preseason. Szmyt had a shaky NFL debut against the Bengals in Week 1, when he missed a field goal and an extra-point try in a 17-16 loss. He settled down after his debut, and after the Browns' Week 9 bye, he made all 14 of his field-goal attempts (including three makes from 50-plus yards) and all 13 of his point-after tries across nine games. Szmyt enters the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent, meaning he'll likely kick for the Browns in 2026.