Roberto Jose Aguayo (born May 17, 1994) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Sp ...

who is a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He played college football at Florida State University, where he was the most accurate kicker in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history and third in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

history. He was drafted by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

in the second round of the

2016 NFL Draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft be ...

, unusually high for a special teams player. Despite an accomplished career at Florida State, Aguayo is considered to be among the biggest "busts" in recent NFL history.

College career

Aguayo redshirted for the 2012 football season, his freshman season at Florida State. Aguayo led the ACC in points with 157 and field goals converted with 21 in the 2013 season. On December 12, 2013, Aguayo won the 2013

Lou Groza Award The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has ...

. Aguayo led the ACC in field goals made with 27 in the 2014 season. Aguayo announced his intention to forgo his senior season on January 6, 2016, to enter the

. In his three years with Florida State, he successfully connected with 69-of-78 field goal attempts and on all 198 of his extra point attempts. In July 2021, ESPN named Aguayo as part of their all-time collegiate "Special Teams

Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore ( Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dako ...

", alongside

Sebastian Janikowski Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida Sta ...

Shane Lechler Edward Shane Lechler (; born August 7, 1976) is an American former professional football player who played as punter for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M University and was drafted by ...

, and Braden Mann.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The

drafted Aguayo with the 59th overall pick in the second round of the

. They acquired the pick in a trade with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

, sending their third and fourth-round selections. Aguayo was the first kicker selected in the second round since Mike Nugent, who was drafted 47th overall in the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also hel ...

by the New York Jets. On June 7, 2016, Aguayo signed his rookie contract, which included a $1.15 million signing bonus. In Week 11, Aguayo went 4-for-4 on field goals and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. However, Aguayo finished the 2016 season with the worst field goal percentage in the NFL among kickers attempting more than two field goals. He went 22-of-31 on field goals as a rookie. In the 2017 off-season, the Buccaneers signed

Nick Folk Nicholas Alexander Folk (born Niklaus Aleksandre Faulke, November 5, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona, where he received first-te ...

to compete with Aguayo; his $750,000 guarantee was more than Aguayo's 2017 salary. After missing a 47-yard field goal and an extra point in the Buccaneers' first preseason game, Aguayo was waived by the Buccaneers on August 12, 2017.

Chicago Bears

On August 13, 2017, Aguayo was claimed off waivers by the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

. He was waived by the Bears on September 2, 2017.

Carolina Panthers

On October 25, 2017, Aguayo was signed to the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

' practice squad. He was released on December 12, 2017.

Los Angeles Chargers

On January 10, 2018, Aguayo signed a reserve/future contract with the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

. He went perfect in the preseason (3-of-3 on field goals and 6-of-6 on extra points) and kicked the game-winning field goal in the Chargers' final exhibition. He was waived on September 1, 2018, after losing the kicking job to

Caleb Sturgis Caleb James Sturgis (born August 9, 1989) is a former American football placekicker. He played college football at Florida, setting team records for field goals completed in a season and a career, and was recognized as an All-American. He was ...

New England Patriots

Aguayo worked out for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

on December 21, 2020. On December 26, Aguayo was signed to the Patriots' practice squad after spending nearly two full seasons as a free agent. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 4, 2021. The Patriots released Aguayo on June 17. Aguayo was competing with veteran

once again and undrafted free agent Quinn Nordin.

Personal life

Aguayo's younger brother, Ricky Aguayo, took over place kicking duties for Florida State in 2016. Aguayo is of

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

descent. He lives in

Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 61,047 as of April 1, 2020. It is 84 miles north of Miami, and the northernmost community in the Miami met ...

, with his wife Courtney and their two toy poodles: Groza and Stella as of 2019. In January 2021, Roberto and Courtney got a divorce. He plays golf, and completed an internship with the PGA of America in 2019.

References

External links

*
Carolina Panthers bioTampa Bay Buccaneers bioFlorida State Seminoles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguayo, Roberto Florida State Seminoles football players Living people 1994 births Players of American football from Florida American football placekickers American sportspeople of Mexican descent Sportspeople from Lake County, Florida All-American college football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Chicago Bears players Carolina Panthers players Los Angeles Chargers players New England Patriots players