Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Matthew Wright might be the ultimate NFL mercenary, and he claimed a feat not many can claim this week with the Washington Commanders.
Wright, a 29-year-old Lancaster, Pa., native, signed with the Commanders on Monday, played in a game for Washington on Monday night, and was released on Tuesday.
His one-day stint with the Commanders now means that Wright has played for 10 NFL teams in his seven-year NFL career, and he’s had multiple stints with many of them.
Wright filled in for usual Washington kicker Matt Gay, who was ruled out late in the week with a back injury. The journeyman backup kicked off twice and made one extra point in a 28-7 Commanders loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Wright first joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of UCF in 2019. He tried to play in the XFL, but was cut. In 2020, he re-joined Steelers’ practice squad, as the team kept an extra specialist of each position available thanks to the COVID-19 roster restrictions.
In that season, he spent three games on the active roster, replacing Chris Boswell and kicking four field goals and seven extra points.
In 2021, with the COVID restrictions behind them, and Boswell healthy, the Steelers again released Wright, sending him on a whirlwind journey around the NFL.
Wright signed wit the Detroit Lions in January 2021. He was released in August and signed to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster and spent the remainder of the season as Jacksonville’s regular kicker.
Despite that, he lost his job in 2022. Wright was waived in May and remained unsigned until joining the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad in September. He was elevated for two games, replacing Harrison Butker, and then signed by the Steelers for a third time, off the Kansas City practice squad, after a Boswell injury. He was released after four games and re-signed with Kansas City. Wright was cut by the Chiefs on Jan. 30, narrowly missing out on winning a Super Bowl.
In 2023, Wright spent the preseason with the Carolina Panthers, spent five days on the San Francisco 49ers in September, five days with the Atlanta Falcons practice squad in November, which was immediately followed by eight days on the New England Patriots practice squad. He re-joined the Panthers on Jan. 2, kicking in a Week 18 game, and missing his only field goal attempt.
Despite almost no chance of making the team over Boswell, Wright re-joined the Steelers for the offseason program, training camp and preseason in 2024, citing his ongoing relationship with Boswell, Christian Kuntz and Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith.
“The relationship with Danny is great,” Wright said. “I mean, Christian and Boswell have been here for a while so I know them real well. Mostly, Danny, the familiarity, he knows that I can kick well and I know that I like it here and that I will be...
