The Jets’ kicker situation looked messy all summer, but the ending has tilted in their favor.
Back in free agency, New York passed on bringing back Nick Folk, even after he put together a strong 2025 season by drilling 28-of-29 field goal attempts. Folk left for the Atlanta Falcons, and the Jets spent the offseason shuffling through options, trying Cade York, Lenny Krieg and Younghoe Koo before settling on York and Jason Sanders heading into training camp.
That competition never really settled the anxiety. York and Sanders both looked shaky in preseason, and the Jets eventually chose Sanders as their Week 1 kicker, while also bringing in Blake Grupe as a safety net.
But the move to let Folk go looks a lot smarter now. After another rough performance Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Falcons cut the 42-year-old, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
For Jets fans, that’s a twist few would have predicted before the season. If you asked them before Week 1 whether they’d rather have Folk or Sanders, about 99.9% would have picked Folk. Half a season later, the answer has changed dramatically.
Folk has struggled badly in Atlanta. Even with a less punishing kicking environment than the outdoor setup at MetLife Stadium, he’s made just 72.2% of his field goals and has been especially unreliable from long range, connecting on only one of four tries from beyond 50 yards.
The contract picture makes the Jets’ decision look even cleaner. Atlanta gave Folk a two-year, $9 million deal in March, and the Falcons will be carrying a $1.25 million dead cap hit in 2027.
New York, on the other hand, has no such baggage with Sanders. He’s on a veteran’s minimum deal with a $1.36 million salary for the 2026 season.
And Sanders has given the Jets a real reason to keep him around. The former Miami Dolphins All-Pro has been steady this year, hitting 87.5% of his kicks and going 4-of-6 from beyond 50 yards. After how uneven he looked in the preseason, that kind of turnaround was hard to see coming.
It’s a reminder that kicker decisions can look obvious in August and completely different by November. Until the games start, nobody really knows how it’s going to play out.
In Other News...
Jets Offense Has A Geno Smith Problem That Keeps Getting Worse
The Jets offense has become a weekly reminder that talent alone does not fix a broken operation, and the latest frustration has centered on the uneasy fit between Geno Smith and offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Their relationship has not produced the kind of rhythm or trust the team needs, and the mismatch in expectations has shown up in the way the offense has sputtered through recent games, including a particularly rough showing against the Chiefs.
For a team trying to find any kind of stability, the concern is not just the production on the field but the sense that both sides may already be thinking beyond the present. Smith and Reich are each being judged on what happens now, yet the bigger question hanging over the Jets is whether either one is fully invested in fixing this partnership before the season slips further away. [Read more 🡒]
Garrett Wilson Just Sent A Clear Message About The Jets Future
Garrett Wilson spent the run-up to the NFL trade deadline at the center of plenty of chatter, with some 49ers fans openly hoping San Francisco might pry the Jets wide receiver loose. Instead, Wilson stayed put, and the deadline passed without New York moving one of its most important young pieces. The 49ers went in a different direction, adding veteran receiver Keenan Allen from the Indianapolis Colts.
For the Jets, keeping Wilson was about more than just avoiding a splashy trade. He remains a foundational player in what the organization hopes will be its next phase, especially as the team looks to stabilize the offense and build around a new quarterback plan. In a season full of uncertainty, retaining a receiver of Wilsons caliber sends a clear signal about where the franchise wants to go next. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Hold A Draft Debate That Could Define Darren Mougey
The Jets are already being pushed into a 2027 draft conversation that could end up shaping Darren Mougeys first major roster-building imprint. With three first-round picks in hand, the team has room to attack both sides of the ball, and the early read is that New York will use that flexibility to keep rebuilding a defense that has been thinned by recent roster changes while also keeping an eye on the long-term quarterback picture.
The names in the discussion tell the story of where the franchise wants to go, with defensive prospects Leonard Moore, Chris Cole, Clev Lubin and Tavion Gadson all drawing attention as possible foundation pieces. The bigger question is how aggressively the Jets will chase a new franchise passer, and whether the front office sees enough in the current college crop to make that the defining move of the class. [Read more 🡒]