Giants' failed kicker chosen by CFL to leave NFL for Calgary Stampeders

Giants' failed kicker chosen by CFL to leave NFL for Calgary Stampeders originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Giants lost a game in the 2025 NFL season in large part due to Jude McAtamney's kicking struggles.

Now, McAtamney has a path to leaving the NFL for the CFL.

The Canadian Football League held its Global Draft on Thursday, and McAtamney was the sixth selection. He was picked by the Calgary Stampeders.

McAtamney is originally from Northern Ireland (although the CFL website listed it as just Ireland, those are two different countries).

The nightmare in 2025 was this: McAtamney missed two extra points in Week 7 against the Broncos in a game the Giants ended up losing by just a single point.

McAtamney spent most of the season on the Giants' practice squad. As part of the NFL's International Pathway Program, he didn't count against the limit of 16 players on the practice squad.

Even after his disastrous day, the Giants didn't cut him immediately like most teams would with a kicker. There really wasn't any reason for them to do so.

McAtamney's contract was terminated in November 2025, though, and he didn't finish the season with any team in the NFL.

If he believes he'll get a real chance to kick in Calgary, it would make sense for him to take the chance at reviving his career there. It doesn't seem that likely that he'll get an immediate chance in the NFL anytime soon.