To play in the NFL, you gotta be a little crazy. To put your body on the line in every practice, every game, every season. For Christian Kuntz, he admits he had to be a little dumb, too. Ignoring the low odds of making it in the NFL, especially for a small-school prospect like him from Duquesne, who didn’t exactly wow with his size and peak athleticism. But dumb is too harsh. Stubborn and driven are more apt to describe him, especially considering he beat incredibly long odds.
On the debut episode of his podcast, “The Christian Kuntz Podcast,” he discussed his winding journey to stick in the league.
“I guess I put all my eggs in one basket trying to make it,” Kunz told co-hosts Vinnie Candelore and Tre Tipton. “I tell people I was too dumb to realize how hard it was. You hear people make it to the NFL; it’s less than one percent. You tell someone, ‘Yeah, Christian’s still trying three years removed, four years removed from getting cut.'”
Primarily a linebacker during his college career, a poor 4.84 40-time hurt already slim NFL chances. But he was productive enough to earn a look in New England Patriots camp in 2017. He’d bounce around in 2018 with multiple teams before receiving a camp opportunity with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Initially, in a dual EDGE/long snapper role, he made the full-time switch to snapper in 2020, returning to Pittsburgh for a second stint. There, he finally came in for a landing, beating out Kameron Canaday for the starting job.
Kuntz took “work while you wait” to a literal level.
“I was valeting downtown. I was putting in dog fences. Pittsburgh Pet Fence, shoutout to them…I was driving for a luxury car service. I’d go out to the airport, I’d park in the area where they had the corporate vans to allow people to come in and hold a sign, ‘I’m picking up Mr. Cooper.'”
Christian Kuntz explained those odd jobs were an “ego hit,” and he’d hide his face behind the sign whenever he saw someone he knew. All to make a couple of extra bucks for no guarantee the NFL would ever become his career. But he’s turned into a reliable snapper coming off a strong 2023 season, turning that into a three-year contract this offseason.
Any player who makes and sticks in the NFL is a success story. First-rounder, UDFA, doesn’t matter. They’ve all beat hefty odds. But Christian Kuntz’s is a special one. Not just for being the “hometown kid.” For a limitless perseverance to turn an NFL dream into reality. And a story he gets to tell as he ventures into the media world.
