Jason Sanders didn’t exactly arrive in New York with a clean runway. The Jets spent the summer shuffling through options before settling on him for their final preseason game, and that experiment went off the rails fast. Sanders missed both a field goal and an extra point in that finale, a rough ending that had Jets fans wondering why the team didn’t pay a little more to keep Nick Folk.
New York moved on anyway. The Jets released Sanders during 53-man roster cuts, claimed Blake Grupe off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts, and seemed ready to close the book on the former Miami Dolphins All-Pro.
But the story wasn’t done there. Sanders returned on the practice squad and then got the call to start in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans.
That opener included an early shank, but since then Sanders has steadied the job and turned into exactly what the Jets needed: reliable production. Over the last six games, he’s been as close to automatic as a team can ask for.
FanSided’s Adam Fromal ranked kickers around the league using KVA, or Kick Value Added, and Sanders earned recognition for the one trait that matters most at the position - consistency. Fromal wrote, "A healthy Jason Sanders has always been an effective Jason Sanders, and he's looked the part for the Jets.
He shanked a 54-yarder in his first game of the season, but he's been perfect since and has started to home in on the true center of the uprights with increasing regularity... New York struggled to figure out the position all offseason, but Sanders looks like he'll stick around for a while."
The numbers back up the eye test. Sanders is 12-of-13 on field goals in 2026, with that lone miss coming on the Week 1 shank. He’s also been dependable on extra points, hitting 8-of-9.
There’s still a fair question about how much range remains in his right leg, but the Jets have clearly found stability where there was none before. Right now, Sanders has made a strong case not just to hold the job now, but to remain New York’s kicker in 2027 too.
In Other News...
Jets Offensive Debate Is Getting Harder To Ignore
Aaron Glenn has gone out of his way to speak well of Frank Reichs work as offensive coordinator, a notable stance at a time when the Jets have spent most of the season trying to patch together an attack hit hard by injuries. The broader picture has not been flattering: New York sits near the bottom of the league in several offensive categories, and the weekly conversation around this team has increasingly centered on how much of the struggle is circumstance and how much is structure.
The conversation gets tougher because the problems are showing up in the moments that tend to decide games. The Jets have been inefficient on third down and in the red zone, which is why the offense keeps drawing scrutiny from both inside and outside the building, even as young players such as Omar Cooper Jr. are part of the long-term appeal. For Glenn, the challenge is balancing patience with performance, and that tension is only becoming harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Jets Suddenly Face A Garrett Wilson Question They Didn't Want
The conversation around Garrett Wilson has taken on a life of its own as the 2026 season opens, and it is not hard to see why. The 49ers are 6-0 despite dealing with injuries, including a setback at wide receiver, and fans and commentators have already started wondering whether San Francisco will try to add another pass catcher to keep the offense stocked for the long haul. Wilson has been productive enough to draw attention, which is exactly the kind of noise the Jets did not need around one of their most important players.
For now, it is still just speculation, with no official trade report to chase and no indication that anything is imminent. Still, these kinds of rumors tend to linger when a contending team is searching for help and a proven receiver is sitting in the middle of the discussion, which puts New York in the awkward position of having to field questions about a player it would much rather keep out of the rumor mill. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Glenn Had To Explain A Strange Jets Sideline Mix-Up
Aaron Glenn spent part of Monday doing something a head coach would rather avoid: cleaning up a sideline miscue from the day before. During a halftime interview, Glenn said the Jets were set to receive the second-half kickoff, but that turned out not to be the case, leaving a strange little moment from a game already full of the usual in-the-moment confusion.
When asked about it the next day, Glenn had to explain the mix-up and put it in context for reporters. He said he was speaking more broadly about the offense sustaining drives than about the specific kickoff situation, a clarification that was needed because the original comment had already made its way around media coverage of the game. [Read more 🡒]