A trade market for kickers sounds odd until you look at the league-wide mess at the position, and that’s exactly where Joey Slye enters the conversation.
According to Jason La Canfora, “a smart GM” is going to land the Titans kicker in a deal, with Slye carrying a $2 million cap hit on an expiring contract. The timing lines up with what La Canfora described as the kicking chaos around the league, and he floated the Packers, 49ers and Rams as teams that could make sense.
The recent production also gives the idea some weight. Over the last two years in Tennessee, Slye has connected on 38 of 46 field goal tries and 36 of 37 extra points. This season, he has played in seven games and gone 10-for-11 on field goals and a perfect 10-for-10 on extra points.
La Canfora singled out Green Bay because rookie Trey Smack has struggled. San Francisco, meanwhile, just extended Eddy Pineiro, but he has missed a kick in each of the last four games. And the Rams are already on their third kicker of the year in Brandon McManus after cutting Harrison Mevis and losing Blake Grupe to a torn ACL.
He also mentioned the Eagles as a team that could try to move some contracts while adding help in an effort to win the division this year, though that could shift if they lose in Week 7 and drop to 2-5.
Slye’s path to this point has been anything but straight. He went undrafted out of Virginia Tech after the 2019 NFL Draft and first signed with the Giants. He was waived in May, brought back in July, and then waived again.
From there, he bounced around the league. He joined the Panthers as a camp leg and wound up winning the starting job when K Graham Gano went on injured reserve.
He re-signed, then signed a one-year extension in January 2021 that would have set him up for free agency in 2022. But the Panthers cut him coming out of the preseason, and he later landed with the Texans and 49ers as an injury replacement.
Washington then brought him in as its primary kicker after releasing K Dustin Hopkins.
After that, Slye returned on one-year deals for two seasons, tested the market as an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year contract with the Jaguars and was cut a month later. He then signed with the Patriots for the 2024 season before the Titans added him on one-year deals for each of the last two seasons.
In Other News...
Packers Face A New Receiver Concern Ahead Of Thursday Night
The Packers went into the week with the usual short-week injury anxiety, but the concern around their receiver room stands out as Thursday night approaches in Carolina. Center Sean Rhyan and linebacker Zaire Franklin are already ruled out, and while several other players were limited in practice, the offense now has to account for another potential absence at a position where timing matters even more on a compressed schedule.
Matthew Goldens status is still being worked through and his availability against Carolina is uncertain, which leaves Green Bay with one more decision to sort out before kickoff. If Golden cant go, the Packers may need to turn to Isaiah Neyor from the practice squad for the first time this season, a reminder that even a routine injury report can quickly reshape the depth chart on a Thursday night. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleurs Micah Parsons Update Gives Packers Fans Real Hope
Micah Parsons still has not returned to practice as he works his way back from the major left knee injury that has kept him on the sideline, but there is at least some optimism coming from the Packers sideline. Matt LaFleur said he hopes Parsons can get back onto the field soon, which is the sort of update Green Bay has been waiting for as it tries to piece together its pass rush without one of its most disruptive defenders.
For now, though, the timeline remains cautious. Parsons has already been ruled out for Week 8, leaving Week 9 against the Patriots as the earliest possible return if his progress in practice keeps moving in the right direction. Until he gets that first full practice under his belt, the Packers can only treat this as encouraging news rather than a true comeback date. [Read more 🡒]
Micah Parsons Just Gave One AFC Contender A Ton Of Hype
Micah Parsons used his podcast to put a surprising spotlight on Cincinnati, saying he believes the Bengals can climb all the way to the AFC's top spot and earn the conferences first-round bye. It was the kind of public vote of confidence that tends to travel fast in the NFL, especially when it comes from a player with Parsons profile and when the team in question has already built a rsum that suggests it belongs in the conversation.
Cincinnati has been stacking up results behind an offense that stays dangerous and a defense that has taken a noticeable step forward. Joe Burrow has been efficient from the pocket, Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase keep giving the Bengals a pair of high-end targets, and the overall profile is strong enough that Parsons saw a team capable of finishing among the leagues best on both sides of the ball. For a contender still trying to separate itself from the pack, that kind of outside belief only adds to the intrigue. [Read more 🡒]