Chad Ryland

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	FG%
Career		30	76.7%
2025		17	75.8%
2024		13	87.5%
2023		17	64.0%

Updated Jun 16, 2026

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Spotrac flags Chad Ryland's contract as a market-rate deal; FanVerdicts grades it D+ Contract Value Index because the production-to-pay ratio shakes out accordingly. At $1.85M AAV on a rookie scale contract, Ryland is being paid in line with what teams typically allocate to a mid-tier kicker, but his D-grade performance — rooted in high-pressure misses and a failure to solidify the starting job through three years — does not justify even that modest outlay for a franchise sitting at 3-14 and clearly in evaluation mode. The 2025 season saw him appear in all 17 games, yet the consistency issues that have dogged his career remain unresolved, and recent media coverage has zeroed in on his pivotal missed 50-yard attempt as emblematic of his unreliability when stakes matter most. At 26 years old as a third-year pro, Ryland is past the development window; he's had ample opportunity to establish himself, and the fact that Arizona wasn't even expected to tender him before the re-signing signals a profound lack of front-office conviction. The team's recent offseason activity — bringing in safety, linebacker, and defensive back depth while pointedly avoiding the kicker market despite clear organizational needs — confirms that management views this as a placeholder arrangement rather than a long-term solution, and training camp competition is almost certain to follow.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Chad's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Snap share and per-play impact line up to a D performance grade for Chad Ryland. The third-year kicker remains a replacement-level option at a position where reliability is the baseline expectation, and his inability to establish himself as a dependable starter through three seasons—despite being drafted in the fourth round in 2023—signals a fundamental gap between draft capital and on-field execution. Ryland appeared in 17 games during the 2025 season, which demonstrates durability in terms of opportunity, but the scope and consistency of his misses, particularly high-pressure attempts like the 50-yard field goal that missed when Arizona needed it most, define his production profile far more than his makes. His re-signing by Arizona carries an air of organizational resignation rather than conviction: the Cardinals released Joshua Karty and brought Ryland back despite internal forecasts that he wouldn't even be tendered, a vote of no-confidence wrapped in a procedural re-up. With training camp competition almost certain and 91 days until the regular season, Ryland enters this offseason as a placeholder rather than a solution, facing a genuine threat of losing the job before Week 1 if Arizona identifies any upgrade in the kicking room.

How Chad Compares at the Position

Chad Ryland ranks 36th of 39 graded pks by performance. That slots Chad between Ryan Fitzgerald (D+) just ahead and Joshua Karty (D-) just behind.

Fan Sentiment

Beat coverage and fan boards are running roughly even on Chad Ryland, landing him at a C sentiment grade. The dominant narrative frames his re-signing as a head-scratching organizational move — multiple reports noted Arizona wasn't even expected to tender him, which immediately signaled a lack of conviction from the front office. That skepticism maps cleanly onto his D-grade performance profile: a third-year, fourth-round pick who has never truly locked down the starting job and whose high-pressure misses (including a pivotal 50-yard attempt that circulated in recent coverage) have reinforced the "replacement-level kicker" label that analysts have attached to him. Arizona's recent offseason activity — signing depth at safety, linebacker, guard, tight end, and cornerback while pointedly leaving the kicker room unaddressed — only amplifies the sense that management views this as a placeholder decision. With 126 days until the regular season and training camp competition almost certainly incoming, Ryland's grip on this job remains tenuous, and the sentiment is being buoyed more by low expectations than genuine confidence in him as a reliable long-term solution.