He played college football for the Baylor Bears, and was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers in 2000.

A Pro Bowler with the Falcons in 2016, he has also been a member of the New York Giants, Frankfurt Galaxy, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Florida Tuskers, and is among the most-accurate kickers in NFL history.

[3][4] After graduating from high school, Bryant attended Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, where he was two-time NJCAA All-American and a member of the 1994 national championship team.

[17] He made his playoff debut in the Giants' 39–38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round.

[27] Bryant and the Buccaneers made the playoffs where they were eliminated by the Washington Redskins in the Wild Card Round by a score of 17–10.

[28] On October 22, in Week 7, Bryant successfully converted a 62-yard field goal as time expired in Tampa Bay's 23–21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

[29][30] In addition to the 62-yarder, he converted two other field goals and two extra points and earned his third career NFC Special Teams Player of the Week nomination.

[36] In the Wild Card Round against the New York Giants, Bryant converted both extra point attempts in the 24–14 loss.

[41] For the first time in his NFL career, he finished in the top five players in total scoring, landing in fourth place with 131 points.

[43] Prior to the start of the 2009 season, the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League signed Bryant to a contract.

[50][14] In Week 12, against the Green Bay Packers, Bryant converted a go-ahead 47-yard field goal with only nine seconds remaining in the 20–17 victory.

[53] In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, Bryant converted all three extra points in the 48–21 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

[59] In Week 6, against the Oakland Raiders, he converted a game-winning 55-yard field goal with one second remaining to help the Falcons win 23–20.

[62] In the Divisional Round against the Seattle Seahawks, Bryant kicked a game-winning 49-yard field goal to send the Falcons to the NFC Championship Game with a 30–28 victory.

[70] On September 7, 2014, in the season opener, Bryant became the fourth player in NFL history to kick a 50+yard field goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation to force overtime in addition to converting a 50+ game-winning field goal in a 37–34 overtime victory against the New Orleans Saints at the Georgia Dome.

[71][72] In recognition of his performance, he was named as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for the sixth time in his career.

[14][73] On September 18, in a 56–14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football, he converted a career-high eight extra points on eight attempts in Week 3.

[76] On November 30, against the Arizona Cardinals, Bryant connected on a career-high five field goals on five attempts in Week 13.

[81] On September 14, 2015, Bryant kicked a game-winning 47-yard field goal in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

[90][91] Bryant was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October after converting 11-of-12 field goals and all 17 extra points.

[93] For the seventh time in his NFL career, he was named as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

He became the third-oldest player in NFL history to appear in a Super Bowl, behind Matt Stover and Jeff Feagles.

[100] Late in the fourth quarter of the game, the Patriots trailed 28–20 and the Falcons had the ball on the New England 23-yard line.

Well-within Bryant's field goal range, quarterback Matt Ryan took a 12-yard sack, and they lost 10 more yards on the next play due to a holding penalty from offensive lineman Jake Matthews.

[106] In Week 14, in the 20–17 victory over the New Orleans Saints, Bryant scored his 1,000th career point, becoming the first player in franchise history to reach the mark.

[112] In the Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he suffered a hamstring injury after converting a 57-yard field goal to help seal the game.

[116][117] On August 31, 2019, Bryant re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year, $3 million deal following preseason struggles by Giorgio Tavecchio and Blair Walsh.

After missing two field goals in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks, the Falcons cut Bryant on October 29, 2019, and signed Younghoe Koo to replace him.

[126] On September 24, 2008, their youngest son Tryson died in his sleep, age three months, apparently from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

After the season, Matt and Melissa established the Matthew Tryson Bryant Foundation to raise awareness for SIDS.