“This Is the First Step”: Kansei Matsuzawa Embraces NFL Opportunity with the Raiders

For Kansei Matsuzawa, the dream has become reality.

Now comes the hard part.

The former University of Hawaiʻi All-American kicker is in his first NFL training camp after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders as an undrafted free agent this spring.

Matsuzawa signed a three-year undrafted free agent contract with Las Vegas that included a $10,000 signing bonus and $25,000 in guaranteed money. But like every undrafted rookie, his opportunity must still be earned. With the NFL’s mandatory roster cutdown to 53 players set for August 30, every practice and every preseason kick carries added significance.

The Raiders also enter camp with a new face leading the kicking room after moving on from longtime kicker Daniel Carlson during the offseason. Las Vegas signed Matt Gay in free agency, giving Matsuzawa the opportunity to compete alongside—and learn from—a proven NFL veteran.

Despite the competition, Matsuzawa isn’t looking ahead to roster decisions.

He’s focused on becoming a better player.

“I dreamed of playing in the NFL seven years ago, and then my dream came true,” Matsuzawa said. “But there’s a lot of things going on, and I want to do better. I want to be a great player. It’s been amazing, but I feel like this is the first step of my new journey here.”

That perspective carried throughout Matsuzawa’s first media availability with the Raiders on Sunday.

Instead of discussing pressure or uncertainty, the former Rainbow Warrior repeatedly returned to the same themes that helped him become one of college football’s most dependable kickers: consistency, routine and daily improvement.

When reporters told Matsuzawa that Gay had praised him by saying he was ahead of where the veteran believed he was as an NFL rookie, Matsuzawa admitted he hadn’t heard the compliment before.

“Oh my gosh, I didn’t know that,” he said. “I think I have a good routine and work ethic, and I trust my process. That’s what I focused on in college. To be elite in the NFL, I’m working on an even better routine, taking care of my body and continuing to improve.”

Matsuzawa said one of the biggest adjustments to life in the NFL hasn’t necessarily been kicking itself.

It’s learning how to tune out everything happening around him.

“I think it’s pretty much the same honestly, but there’s more attention for sure,” he said. “At the end of the day, I’ve got to focus on myself and my process. Being able to focus on myself is the most important thing.”

That mindset has also shaped his relationship with Gay.

Rather than viewing the veteran as simply the player standing between him and a roster spot, Matsuzawa described Gay as both a mentor and someone who has helped accelerate his development.

“I’m so happy to work with him,” Matsuzawa said. “He’s a great mentor, and I’m so grateful to have a veteran kicker like him. He has tons of experience in the NFL, and the competition has been amazing.”

Matsuzawa also credited months of offseason work with former NFL kick Nick Novak, along with the Raiders coaching staff, for helping prepare him for the professional level. While consistency remained his biggest emphasis at Hawaiʻi, he said the NFL has challenged him to continue developing greater distance and trajectory on his kicks.

Perhaps the most meaningful moment came when Matsuzawa reflected on how he arrived in Las Vegas in the first place.

In 2018, he attended his first-ever NFL game.

It just happened to be a Raiders game.

Now, less than a decade later, he’s wearing the Silver and Black.

“It’s definitely a full-circle moment,” Matsuzawa said. “I went to a Raiders game in 2018. That was my first NFL game. I’ve always been influenced by the players, the team and the fans. Now I’m on the player side, so it’s really exciting to me.”

While his focus remains squarely on earning a place on the Raiders’ 53-man roster, Matsuzawa hopes his journey extends beyond football.

He hopes it inspires others.

“My journey is a little unique and different,” he said. “I want to inspire people—not just in Japan, but around the world. It’s never too late. If you have motivation and work ethic, you can make it to the top level. If I can do it, I think everybody can.”

For Matsuzawa, reaching the NFL wasn’t the destination.

It’s simply the first step.