Falcons Overhauling Special Teams with former Jets Kicker, Dolphins Punter

FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons have continued making additions in the early parts of the negotiation window ahead of free agency on Wednesday.

According to a report from ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, the Falcons have their next punter. Former Dolphins punter Jake Bailey is signing a three-year deal worth $9 million ($5 million guaranteed). Just moments later, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that veteran kicker Nick Folk will come to Atlanta on a two-year deal.

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Bailey is set to join his former special teams coordinator, Craig Aukerman, in Atlanta after spending last season together with the Dolphins. The punter has played seven years in the NFL, with stops in New England (2019-22) and Miami (2023-25).

For his career, Bailey averages 46.3 yards per punt (long of 71 yards) and has downed 41.9% of his punts inside the 20-yard line.

Similar to Bailey, Folk also crossed paths with Aukerman for one season in Tennessee (2023). The 41-year-old kicker has played 18 years in the NFL, with stops with the Dallas Cowboys (2007-09), the New York Jets (2010-16), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017), New England Patriots (2019-22), Tennessee Titans (2023-24), and then back to the Jets (2025).

For his career, Folk is the active leader in field goal makes (431) and attempts (507), with an average conversion rate of 85.0% and a career-long of 58 yards (which came last season). Folk has enjoyed a late-career resurgence and has led the NFL in field goal percentage in 2023 (96.7%), 2024 (95.5%), and 2025 (96.6%).

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“My biggest thing that I look at in a kicker, I want a guy that's confident,” Aukerman said. “A guy that's going to go out there – it doesn't matter if it's in the first quarter or in the fourth quarter, where he's kicking a game-winning field goal. I want a guy that's going to have total confidence in himself. I want his teammates to have confidence in him, that they can go out there and perform at the highest level. That's probably one of the bigger things that I take a look at.”

Former Falcons punter Bradley Pinion and kicker Zane Gonzalez are free agents and should be expected to sign with new teams over the next several weeks.