CHARLOTTE — A year ago, Ryan Fitzgerald wasn't even sure if he should rent.

A year from today, he'll be entering a whole new phase of life when he gets married.

And after a year in which he showed he could be trusted in late-game situations, the Panthers kicker is hopeful he's settling into a long-term home.

But after entering training camp without guarantees and competing against a veteran for a job, he realizes now how far he's come in the last 365 days.

But the 25-year-old laughed recently, when asked if there was ever a point in his whirlwind rookie year in which he felt settled in.

"No," he said quickly, shaking his head. "It was a constant go-go-go. Just a constant, I've got to win the job, got to keep the job, got to perform well. But that's the NFL, so I think just getting used to that and having that first game-winner under the belt helped a lot."

That first one against Dallas was memorable for a lot of reasons, but it was also just the first. Fitzgerald hit four game-winners last year, which tied for the league lead.

That's rare for any kicker, but for an undrafted rookie, especially so. Since 2000, only Dallas's Dan Bailey (2011) has also hit four winners as a rookie, and only seven rookies have had as many as three game-winners in a season since 2000.

So for Fitzgerald, getting that first one against Dallas, and following with winners on the road at Green Bay and Atlanta before the critical December one against the Buccaneers, created a steady climb that resembled what the team was doing.

"You get Dallas, and the Falcons game, just building a lot of confidence," he said. "And then having the Green Bay game with the tough conditions and missing an extra point and then coming back and making the game-winner, it just kept building."

He also had to learn the NFL's kickoff rules after winning the job, and handled it well, helping the team rank third in the league in opponents' average drive start. And he hit 24-of-29 field goals on the season, including two from 55 yards or longer.

But he's also learned that he can't take anything for granted.

"I think the mindset this year is similar, but at the same time completely different," he said. "Last year it was. I need to just win the job first, make the team, and then go from there. And then once the season started last year, it's like, all right, let's get my feet wet. Let's prove why I'm here, to prove myself, and that hasn't changed.

"I still have to prove myself this year. If anything, the expectations are higher this year and trying to take that next step, trying to have a stronger leg, more accuracy."

Fitzgerald learned, as most rookies do, that having an entire offseason entering his second season has given him a chance to improve that he didn't have last year. Instead of going to pre-draft workouts and the combine and trying to find a home, he has settled into the routine here. So he feels stronger, which should only help.

"Yeah, having an actual offseason this year was huge," he said. "I mean, coming into OTAs, my legs feel great, feel fresher than they've ever been before, and just working with (director of performance) Josh Hingst in the weight room, just getting stronger.

"I feel more explosive. My numbers are up across the board, so we'll just keep going."

He's also getting ready to build a new life, getting engaged this offseason and setting a July 3, 2026, wedding date. (In the NFL, early July weddings are common because everyone knows when training camp starts.)

And with the benefit of veterans in his meeting room at work, particularly long snapper JJ Jansen and holder Sam Martin, he has the chance to continue to learn.

The 40-year-old on Jansen has taken Fitzgerald under his wing the same way veteran kicker John Kasay did for him when he arrived in 2009. Fitzgerald hasn't met Kasay yet, but has felt his presence, in part because Jansen lives in Kasay's former house in South Charlotte.

So when the rookie kicker and elder snapper were sitting around the pool house last season, in the same spot where Kasay mentored Jansen nearly two decades ago, Jansen was just passing the wisdom to the next generation. (Between the two of them, Kasay and Jansen have been a part of every roster in franchise history.)

"We'll be sitting in the pool house talking about non-football things, about life, about marriage, about faith," Fitzgerald said. "And because that used to be John Kasay's house, he said I sat on this very couch talking to John about these exact same things.

"So 20 years later, here we are, there's a lot of history."

Fitzgerald started making some of his own last year. And now he gets to build on it.