From Oahu to the Ninth Island, former University of Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa has reached agreement on a three-year, free-agent contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Agent Bardia Ghahremani did not disclose the amount of Matsuzawa’s signing bonus.
“It was good enough for him not to worry about anything in the near future,” Ghahremani said.
Per standard contracts for undrafted free agents, only the signing bonus is guaranteed. If Matsuzawa makes the active roster, he will earn the NFL’s first-year minimum salary of $885,000 for the 2026 season.
Ghahremani said Matsuzawa will report to the Raiders’ rookie mini camp this coming weekend, and will begin the offseason training program on May 4. UH linebacker Giovanni Iovino also received an invitation to the Raiders’ mini camp.
The Washington Commanders, Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams also showed strong interest in Matsuzawa.
“We knew we wanted to go (to Las Vegas),” said Ghahremani, a chief executive officer at International Sports Agency. “That was our No. 1 spot.”
Ghahremani said Las Vegas senior special teams coach Marquice Williams and special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis factored heavily in Matsuzawa’s decision.
“That really was the decision maker,” Ghahremani said. “He absolutely loved the special teams coordinators. They were really great with him. They’re both great at developing guys to make them stars. That was really the factor. We really wanted to go somewhere that actually loves him, cares about him, believes in him, and really wanted him to be successful in his future. Both Marquice Williams and Joe Decamillis were those guys. That was the No. 1 point for us.”
Ghahremani said the Raiders were in contact with Matsuzawa throughout the three-day draft in Pittsburgh. Matsuzawa attended the draft as part of the NFL International Pathway Program.
Matsuzawa enters a favorable situation with the Raiders. Weather and climate elements will not be a detriment. The Raiders’ home games are indoors at Allegiant Stadium, where he played against UNLV in 2023 and 2025 with the Warriors. He will feel at ease in a city closely associated with Hawaii. And the competition appears to be wide open.
The Raiders did not extend kicker Daniel Carlson, who converted on 81% of his field-goal attempts in 2025. Last month, the Raiders signed Matt Gay to a free-agent contract.
Matsuzawa grew up in Chiba, Japan, and learned place-kicking from YouTube videos, practicing in a park and playing two years at Hocking College.
In offering a walk-on invitation to Matsuzawa, special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield recalled receiving the blessing from head coach Timmy Chang in 2023.
“I think Tim just trusted my eye, and this is who I wanted to go with,” Sheffield recalled. “The rest is history.”
Matsuzawa was an understudy to Matthew Shipley in 2023. The following season, Matsuzawa converted 12 of 16 field-goal attempts.
“He wasn’t happy with his junior year performance,” Sheffield said.
UH brought in competition, seeking a higher-echelon kicker who could convert at 85% or better. Sheffield and his assistants worked on fine-tuning Matsuzawa’s technique and fundamentals while “reiterating what he already knew. And just highlighted all the things he did well, and build off those, not letting him lose his faith in himself. The rest was kind of him.”
The “Tokyo Toe” made 25 of 26 field goals and became the Warriors’ first consensus first-team All-American.