Here We Go Again: Jets Can't Stop Making Same Mistake At Kicker

It doesn't matter what year or regime it is.

The Jets can't seem to make the right decision when it comes to their kicking situation.

When the team has a great kicking season, as they did in 2025 with Nick Folk, they tend to always look the other way for another option. That happened to Jason Myers after the 2018 season, Folk both last year and in 2016 or in the opposite direction when they held on to Greg Zuerlein too long during the 2024 campaign.

The Jets can't seem to get it right. And they only have themselves to blame.

Gang Green has openly talked about their kicking situation. After letting Folk walk in free agency, the team has had five different kickers compete for their starting job. They left with Jason Sanders "winning" the job over Cade York.

After a disaster performance in Friday's preseason finale, though, it appears the Jets' kicking problems aren't close to being solved... again.

Jets can't afford to let kicking remain a concern

There was nothing wrong with allowing a former All-Pro in Sanders and a former high draft pick in York to battle it out during training camp for starting kicking duties. Through the first few weeks, it looked like the battle was going to be a fun one, with both kickers looking accurate with plenty of leg strength.

Over the last week and a half, though, things took a turn for the worse. York missed from 59 yards in a preseason outing in Pittsburgh and had disastrous performances in practice. Sanders wasn't much better, but the team still gave him the job.

After missing a PAT to open the game on Friday night vs. the Giants, and coming woefully short on a 50+ yard field goal later in the game, it's clear Sanders hasn't done enough to win the job on his own merit.

Chip Traynum is probably not going to make the 53-man roster, but he has run hard all camp. Could definitely see him on the practice squad or with another RB-needy team.

Also of note -- Jason Sanders is doing NOTHING to earn the #Jets kicking job right now
— Nick “Mike Farrell” Faria (@Nick_Faria1720) August 28, 2026

"I didn’t like the fact that we missed these field goals, but the thing is we’re not going to panic, and we’re going to make sure that we make the right decision to make sure we either fix those issues or we get the right person in here," Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said. "But Jason (Sanders) has been good for us. He’s been good in practice. I’m going to evaluate that and see exactly what direction we’ll go."

Going into their Week 1 game against the Titans with Sanders as their kicker would be complete malpractice for the Jets. It would mean putting a shaky player on the field in a potentially clutch moment in a game they can't really afford to lose.

The good news is that there is still plenty of time for Gang Green to find a plausible starter going forward. They have two weeks for more tryouts, and they just need to find someone more consistent than what they have seen so far. Remember, star punter Austin McNamara was brought in as an inexperienced rookie last year and turned into a major strength for the team. New York doesn't need someone with experience; they need someone to do the job well.

And while they have time to figure this problem out, it wasn't one in the first place. No one would have argued if the Jets brought Folk back after an excellent 2025 season. Instead, they chose a different option.

Now, it's clear that the Jets' starting kicker in Week 1 is not on the roster. They have two weeks to find one.

Or things could end up very bad for everyone involved.

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