Aussie star punter pays brutal price after Super Bowl nightmare

An Aussie star has been brutally axed after he delivered a performance to forget on the biggest NFL stage last year.

Arryn Sipposs and Lou Hedley

Lou Hedley has officially joined the burgeoning fraternity of Australian punters in the NFL as teams across the league finalised their 53-man roster for the upcoming season.

Hedley, who was not picked in the 2023 NFL Draft, was claimed as undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints.

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It meant the 29-year-old rookie would battle it out with Blake Gillikin throughout pre-season for a spot on the Saints’ roster.

Yet it was the heavily-inked former scaffolder from Western Australia who beat out Gillikin for the Saints’ punting role and as a result scored a minimum payday of $AUD1.16 million.

Hedley’s inclusion on the Saints’ roster is the culmination of an absurd journey in which he played for the Peel Thunder reserves in the WAFL before learning the ropes of punting in 2017 with ProKick Australia.

He then had to go to a junior college in San Francisco to earn the necessary grades given he dropped out of high school before he moved to the University of Miami in 2019.

Hedley featured in 47 games for the Hurricanes across a four-year spell where he averaged 45.2 yards from 206 punts.

Although he may not have been drafted, it evidently did not stop Hedley from his NFL dreams becoming reality.

But amid Hedley’s ecstasy is Arryn Siposs’ agony after he was released by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Lou Hedley has won the battle to become the New Orleans Saints’ punter. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Siposs made headlines last September for a touchdown-saving play when he wrapped up Minnesota Vikings cornerback Kris Boyd after he’d scooped up the ball from a blocked field goal.

But the Aussie then made headlines for all the wrong reasons during the Super Bowl when his failed punt allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to chalk up the longest punt return in Super Bowl history.

The Chiefs’ return eventually led to the matchwinning touchdown and unfortunately for Siposs, a lot of criticism from Eagles fans.

Despite having a year to run on his deal in Philadelphia, Siposs failed to make the 53-man roster and neither did rookie punter Ty Zentner as both failed to provide a bulletproof case for inclusion throughout camp.

However, Philadelphia will still have an Australian presence on its roster in the form of hulking offensive lineman Jordan Mailata.

Mailata inked a monster four-year, $88 million contract extension on the eve of the 2021 season and played a starring role throughout the Eagles’ 2023 campaign en route to the Super Bowl.

Having allowed only six sacks and just one hit on Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts last season, Mailata’s spot on the roster was safe as houses.

Arryn Siposs has been let go by the Philadelphia Eagles. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Fellow Australian offensive lineman Daniel Faalele has also made the cut for the Baltimore Ravens.

Faalele was drafted by the Ravens in 2022 but was seen as somewhat of a raw product, although it didn’t stop him appearing in all 16 regular season games.

He also earned one start where he didn’t allow a single sack on 43 pass blocking snaps.

Faalele will be expected to once again continue his upward trajectory this season with the Ravens as they look to return to the playoffs once again.

Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh even hinted Faalele could be close to a starting role this season based on what he’d seen from the 23-year-old in training camp.

“I wanted to see what he looked like before we got out of the minicamp and the OTAs at left guard, and he looked good,” Harbaugh said.

“He could stay a little more square and things like that, but his feet look good, his hands look good, he’s able to punch quickly with his hands and react pretty quickly in there, so I wouldn’t rule him out as a potential left guard.”

Faalele could be in line for more starts this season. (Photo by Rob Carr / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Other Aussies who didn’t need to sweat over their jobs were star punting duo Mitch Wishnowsky and Michael Dickson, who play for the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks respectively.

Wishnowsky penned a four-year extension worth up to $13 million last season while Dickson signed a $19.3 million extension for the same time period.

Adam Gotsis will remain with the Jacksonville Jaguars as they plot another victory in the AFC South.

Gotsis has endured a rather interesting pre-season with the Jaguars as he was forced to become the team’s emergency long snapper, a far cry from his traditional defensive end position.

The Aussie signed a two-year extension last season and have a larger role to play after defensive lineman Arden Key departed for AFC South rivals Tennessee Titans.

Remaining in the AFC South and punter Cameron Johnston will once again do the duties for the Houston Texans.

Johnston was impressive for the Texans last season, leading the AFC for most punts inside the 20-yard line with 37.

Originally published as Aussie star punter pays brutal price after Super Bowl nightmare