Is the End Near for Former Dolphins Kicking Star?

Jason Sanders' return to the NFL has hit a roadblock, and now it's safe to wonder whether arguably the best kicker in Miami Dolphins history is looking at the end of his career.

In a stunning move Tuesday, Sanders was released by the New York Giants to make room on the roster for newly signed veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Giants released Sanders despite now being left with a first-year kicker and a rookie free agent.

Sanders signed with the Giants this offseason as he was released by the Dolphins in what seemed like a salary-cap move that saved Miami almost $4 million.

According to New York Giants On SI, Sanders struggled with his accuracy during open OTA this spring, missing two kicks in two separate practices.

The big question with Sanders deals with the hip injury that cost him the entire 2025 season.

WHY THIS MIGHT BE IT FOR SANDERS

That the Giants made this move at this time of year is a pretty strong statement that Sanders faces an uphill climb to get back onto an NFL roster, his situation obviously made delicate by that hip injury.

Sanders' career took a turn when he sustained a bizarre injury during pregame warmups before a preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Baptist Health Training Complex last August.

Sanders ended up being placed on injured reserve in the cuts to 53 but with a designation to return.

That never happened, though, as Sanders' injury lingered while his replacement Riley Patterson simply put together a record-breaking season.

If this indeed is it for Sanders, he can leave the game proud of his accomplishments.

He is the most accurate kicker in Dolphins history with a success rate of 84.6 that easily outdistances Dan Carpenter's 81.9 among kickers with at least 50 field goal attempts.

Sanders' kicks clinched playoff spots for the Dolphins in both 2022 and 2023 (against the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys, respectively) and he earned All-Pro honors in 2020.

There was no reason to think he wasn't ready for another good year in 2025 after hitting a 56-yard field goal in the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field until everything changed that August night against Jacksonville.

And now we wait to see if he'll get another shot in the NFL.

PROPS FOR FANGIO

Vic Fangio spent only one season with the Dolphins, but he clearly left an impression as a quality defensive coordinator and he was recognized Tuesday as the winner of the PFWA Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman Award for lifetime achievement by an assistant coach.

Fangio, now DC with the Philadelphia Eagles, left the Dolphins as quickly as he came, coordinating one of the team's best defenses until injuries took a toll at the end of that 2023 season when Jaelen Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Xavien Howard and Jerome Baker all were lost with various issues.

His rigid, no-nonsense approach — some might call it gruff — didn't work with everybody and we all remember Jevon Holland's famous social media post after his departure.

In the end, maybe Fangio, Mike McDaniel and Miami simply weren't a good match, but clearly Fangio can coach, as he continues to prove with the Eagles.

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