Virginia Tech football: Joey Slye looks to continue to impress in Carolina

The journey from Virginia Tech football to the NFL

Kickers are usually not the position that gets a significant amount of glory but some leave a legacy. Joey Slye was the starter for all four years of his collegiate career with the Virginia Tech Hokies. He goes down as one of the best kickers to play in a Virginia Tech uniform.

Slye joined the team as a preferred walk-on in 2014. He went 20-28 his first season and his season-long being a 49-yarder. His sophomore year he found similar success going 23-30 in his field goal kicking.

His junior season in 2016 was his breakout season. During the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers, he went 6/6, which set a record for the most field goals in a single game in school history. He also finished the season with 23 made field goals which tied for the most in a single season. In 2017, he hit a 50-yard field goal which was his longest at Virginia Tech.

He finished his Virginia Tech football career with 403 points, the most by any kicker in school history. Slye also went 78 of 107 for a 72% success rate and 169 of 172 in extra points conversions versus attempts in his career.

NFL career so far

Slye went undrafted and signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants in 2019. The Giants then released him eight days after being signed. He was then re-signed by the Giants but was released again three days later.

He needed a team to take a chance to believe in him after the second release. That team was the Carolina Panthers, signed him in August of 2019. His first season in Carolina in the 2019 NFL season, he went 25 of 32 including eight made field goals from beyond 50 yards, setting a franchise record.

Carolina signed Slye to a one-year contract extension in 2020, choosing him as the starter over veteran Graham Gano. Slye went 29 of 36, which is considered average until you look at how many of those were from beyond 50-yards. All, but two, of his missed field goal attempts, were beyond 50 yards. His long in 2020 was a 56 yarder.

Slye was able to get another one-year contract extension with the Carolina Panthers in January of 2021.

He’s got a big leg that can hit from distance. Last season, the insufficient offense of the Panthers put Slye into tough long-distance field goal attempts. If he can become more consistent in the extra points and shorter kicks, he could be one of the best kickers in the league this season. Carolina’s offense will need Slye to convert his kicking margins when called upon. Slye will have a get better at short-distance field goals with the Panthers’ new offense, led by new starting quarterback Sam Darnold and some key new weapons.