Background and career
Thomas James Feely (born May 23, 1976) is an American politician former professional football player. He started his playing career as a placekicker with the Florida Bobcats in the Arena Football League (AFL) as a free agent in 1999 before playing for several National Football League (NFL) teams. Following his retirement until 2025, Feely worked as a reporter and analyst for the NFL on CBS. Feely played college football for the Michigan Wolverines. He was also a member of the AFL's Tampa Bay Storm and in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears. He was a member of the Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie Team with the Falcons in 2001. Feely is the Republican nominee for Arizona's 1st congressional district in 2026, after previously launching a campaign in the 5th district.
Feely attended Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida. While there, he set Hillsborough County career and season records for field goals and extra points. Feely played for the Temple Terrace Spirit Soccer team that won the National Championships when he was 16 years old.
Feely was a four-year letterman at the University of Michigan from 1994 to 1998. As a senior in 1998, he converted 17 of 22 field goal attempts and 40 of 41 point-after attempts on his way to a mention for the All-Big Ten team. His longest career field goal was 51-yard kick against Baylor as a junior. He finished his career 20-for-26 in field goals and 43-for-44 in extra points.
After going undrafted in the 1999 NFL draft, Feely kicked for the Florida Bobcats of the Arena Football League. That season, he went 2-for-5 in field goal attempts and 8-for-13 in extra point attempts. He added three tackles (two solo) and forced a fumble.
Feely kicked for the Tampa Bay Storm in 2000, converting one of six field goal attempts and three of four extra point attempts. He returned one kickoff for 22 yards.
In March 2001, Feely worked out for the Washington Redskins but was not signed. On April 12, he signed a one-year, $209,000 contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Although Jake Arians had been expected to be the Falcons' placekicker during the 2001 season, Feely won the job. As a rookie with the Falcons in 2001, Feely converted 29 of 37 field goal attempts (78.4%) and all 28 extra point attempts. He also converted 14 of 15 field goals away from the Georgia Dome. His 115 points tied him with the Eagles' David Akers for second in the NFC, behind only Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins. Feely converted a 55-yard attempt against the Arizona Cardinals on September 30. He also caught one pass for -2 yards from Falcons punter Chris Mohr on a fake field goal attempt. For his performance during the season, Feely was a consensus all-rookie selection. An exclusive-rights free agent in the 2002 offseason, Feely was tendered a one-year, $300,000 contract by the Falcons on February 22. He signed the deal on June 7. That season, he converted 32 of 40 field goal attempts (80 percent) and all but one of 43 extra point attempts. His 32 field goals tied him with Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Martín Gramática for most in the NFL. It also broke Morten Andersen's previous franchise record of 31 set in 1995. Feely earned NFL Special Teams Player of the Week honors after converting three field goals of more than 40 yards against the Carolina Panthers on October 20, and eventually earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors for converting 9 of 10 field goals and all nine points after touchdowns. In 2003, Feely converted 19 of 27 field goal attempts (70.4 percent) and 32 of 33 extra point attempts. On March 6, 2004, the Falcons re-signed Feely – a restricted free agent – to a one-year contract worth $628,000. That season, he achieved a field goal percentage of 78.3 by converting 18 of 23 tries. He connected on all 40 of his extra point attempts that season. On September 19 against the St. Louis Rams, he recovered his own onside kick. In two playoff games, Feely was a perfect 2-for-2 in field goals and 7-for-7 on PATs.
