Jets' Kicker Competition Takes Another Turn with Younghoe Koo Signing

New York Giants place kicker Younghoe Koo (37) on the field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

One of the position battles that the Jets fans will be paying attention to over the next few months will be at kicker. This offseason, New York decided not to re-sign veteran Nick Folk and instead signed Cade York to a one-year deal to compete with Lenny Krieg and UDFA Will Ferrin at the time.

However, the kicker competition took a turn a couple of weeks ago, when the Jets parted ways with Ferrin following rookie minicamp. This left York and Krieg to battle it out going into OTAs. But the Jets aren’t satisfied with the current competitors, as they reportedly signed Younghoe Koo on Wednesday, per Connor Hughes of SNY.

Koo was most recently at the New Orleans Saints’ rookie minicamp as a tryout player following the NFL draft, but did not get signed. The veteran kicker spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants, where he had his share of ups and downs. Between the two teams, the 31-year-old kicker went 6-for-9 on field goals and 13-for-14 on extra points in six games.

What to know about Younghoe Koo and his chances to win the starting kicker job

It wasn’t that long ago that Koo was viewed as one of the better kickers in the league, as he signed a massive five-year, $24.25 million contract extension in 2022 with the Falcons. 

After a Pro Bowl campaign in 2020 and a stellar 2021, where he made 94.9% and 93.1% of his field goals, respectively, the Falcons decided to lock him in long-term. It was a well-deserved honor for Koo, who bounced around the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots before joining the Falcons in 2019.

He also had a stint in the now-defunct AAF, where he kicked for the Atlanta Legends. In 2022, Koo had a good season with the Falcons, making 86.5% of field goals, including 9-of-10 from 40-49 yards and 7-of-11 from 50-plus yards.

It was the same story in 2023 with Atlanta, where Koo again made 86.5% of his field goals and had similar success from 40-49 yards (9-of-11), but he didn’t get that many opportunities from 50-plus yards out (3-of-6).

Then, in 2024, things started to go downward for Koo, who appeared in 14 games and was placed on season-ending IR with a hip injury. His injury played a huge part in his performance. Koo missed a career-high nine field goals (25-of-34, 73.5%).

Looking back at last season, Koo was out the door in Atlanta after the first game of the season. He went 2-for-3 in the regular season opener but missed a 44-yard field goal, which would’ve tied up the game. Koo didn’t play the following week as Atlanta turned to John Parker Romo and was off the roster by Week 3.

Coincidentally, Koo was competing against Krieg last preseason for the Falcons’ starting kicker job, so the fact that these two are back at it again is a small storyline to keep an eye out for.

Jets fans are not thrilled with the idea of Koo joining the team, as they watched him fumble the bag with the Giants last year. If anything, he’s not a huge upgrade to some over what they have in York, who is a career 73.3% field goal kicker.

But that’s what could make this competition a bit more intriguing, as you have two kickers in the same space in Koo and York, plus a wildcard in Krieg, who has nothing to lose. Given that Koo was signed at the start of OTAs, he’ll immediately get a chance to impress head coach Aaron Glenn and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo.

If he makes his kicks over the next couple of weeks, the pressure will be on York and Krieg to bring their A-game. However, if Koo shows the same struggles that plagued him last year, then the Jets can easily turn the page and bring someone else in before training camp begins in July.