Australian NFL Players 2026

The start of the 2026 season saw the first ever official NFL game played Down Under, when the LA Rams took on the San Francisco 49ers at the MCG.

While this was the first ever competitive NFL game on Aussie soil, Australians have been involved with American football for more than a while now. 

That’s why we thought we’d take a look at all the Aussies abroad, who are currently plying their trade at an NFL franchise.

That’s right, we’re good at more than just Rugby League, AFL, and Cricket, we can mix it up with the Yanks too.

Unsurprisingly, we’re best with our boots and Aussie punters are easily our biggest exports in the NFL. 

Speaking of Aussies punters, we thought we’d keep all of you up to date with every Australian NFL player in 2026. Check them out below!

Australian NFL Players 2026 

Jordan Mailata (Philadelphia Eagles)

Beginning with the biggest and the best. Arguably the most recognisable Australian in the NFL is Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata.

This season will be Mailata’s ninth in the NFL, after he signed with the Eagles in 2018. A former rugby league product who played for both Canterbury and South Sydney’s youth teams, Mailata decided his hulking 166kg frame was better suited to protected quarterbacks.

He was a key cog in the Eagles side that won the Super Bowl a few years back, giving quarterback Jalen Hurts the protection a QB of his talent deserves.

The 2026 NFL season sees him begin the first year of a three-year, US$66 million extension that runs through 2028. 

Last season he was named one of the Eagles' eight team captains, cementing his role as a leader both on and off the field.

Michael Dickson (Seattle Seahawks)

The first of many punters on this list, Michael Dickson is the Seattle Seahawks main man when it comes to letting fly with the boot.

Dickson enters 2026 as a Super Bowl champion. The Sydney-born punter played all 17 regular-season games last year, recording 52 punts for 2,548 yards at a 49-yard average, and earned second-team All-Pro honours. 

He then elevated his game during Seattle's Super Bowl LX run, landing 10 of 15 postseason punts inside the 20-yard line.

His Super Bowl performance was described by some outlets as potentially the best punting display in the game's history, seven punts at an average of 47.9 yards, with three pinned inside the six. 

Selected by Seattle in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, Dickson now ranks fourth all-time in career punting average at 48.3 yards.

Cameron Johnston (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Cameron Johnston returns to Pittsburgh for his ninth NFL season after two injury-hit years. 

Last season, across stints with Buffalo and the New York Giants, he recorded 11 punts for 490 yards at a 44.5-yard average. 

A major knee injury and a subsequent setback in the form of a foot injury made last year a difficult one, but Johnston has put together a clean preseason and is firmly in the punting picture of Pittsburgh this season. 

The Geelong product has now played 100 regular-season games since debuting with Philadelphia in 2018, racking up more than 21,000 punting yards across stops in Houston, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and New York. 

He's back with the Steelers on a one-year deal, lining up alongside stars like Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf.

Tory Taylor (Chicago Bears) 

One of the newer Aussies on the NFL block, 29-year-old Punter Tory Taylor joined the big leagues in 2024 with the Chicago Bears.

When he was taken in the fourth round of the draft as the 122nd overall pick, Taylor became the highest selected Punter since 2019.

He signed a four-year rookie contract with the Bears and has quickly made his presence felt in Chicago.

Last year he played all 17 games, punting 60 times for 2,870 yards at a 47.8-yard average, with 21 landing inside the opposition 20 and a career-long of 69 yards.

Jeremy Crawshaw (Denver Broncos) 

One of the more recent Aussie punters to join the NFL, Penrith product Jeremy Crawshaw was selected by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of last year’s draft.

He probably grew up thinking he’d be putting up bombs for the Panthers one day but seeing as Nathan Cleary seems to have that covered, he’ll instead be trying to become the first-choice punter for Denver.

Crawshaw heads into his second NFL season looking to build on a standout rookie year. 

In his debut campaign, he punted 75 times for 3,573 yards at a 47.6-yard average, including a 76-yard long, and landed 30 punts inside the 20.

Daniel Faalele (Jacksonville Jaguars) 

Another big boy who seems to be following in the footsteps of Mailata is offensive guard Daniel Faalele.

Faalele starts a new chapter in Jacksonville after a trade just weeks before the 2026 season. 

The Melbourne-born guard had signed with the New York Giants in the offseason after four years with Baltimore, but his stay in New York lasted only four months before the Jaguars acquired him for a sixth-round pick to shore up their offensive line.

Also, you thought Mailata was big? Fallele weighs in at 174kg making him the heaviest rostered player in the NFL.

Brett Thorson (Minnesota Vikings)

Brett Thorson is making a strong early impression as a punter for the Minnesota Vikings in 2026. 

The Melbourne-born specialist, selected out of Georgia, his net average of 40.2 yards reflects a punter already contributing meaningfully to field position. 

Highlights so far include pinning three punts inside the 20 against his old team Green Bay in Week 1, and a booming 62-yarder against Chicago in Week 2. Minnesota has won all three games Thorson has featured in, and while it's early days, his composure and leg power have stood out for a rookie. 

Australia's punting pipeline runs deep, and Thorson is emerging as the latest in a long line of Aussie specialists making their mark in the NFL. 

Mitch Wishnowsky (New England Patriots) 

Rounding out the list of active Australian NFL players for 2026 is, surprise surprise, another punter – Mitch Wishnowsky.

Wishnowsky has landed with New England after being released by Buffalo ahead of the season. 

The 34-year-old lost the Bills' punting battle to seventh-round rookie Tommy Doman Jr., but the Patriots quickly signed the seven-year veteran to their practice squad, with starter Bryce Baringer dealing with a lower-body injury.

He’s already managed to make a handful of appearances for the Patriots in 2026 and will be hoping to hold his spot for the rest of the season.