Jets OTAs Have Shone Negative Light on Ongoing Kicker Competition

It was not that long ago that Will Ferrin, Lenny Krieg, and Cade York were projected to be competing for the starting kicker position for the New York Jets. However, the Jets released Ferrin to make room for wide receiver Tim Patrick a few weeks ago and just waived Krieg on Monday after the German-born kicker started OTAs on the wrong foot.

While that forced the Jets' kicking competition to take another turn starting in June, the decision to let Krieg go left offseason acquisition Cade York and former Pro Bowler Younghoe Koo to battle for the starting spot. Koo was signed while Krieg was still on the roster, making it another three-way battle at the time to see who would stand out the most.

However, after a poor showing at Tuesday's OTAs, the Jets waived Koo in favor of former Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders. Koo and York faced off on Tuesday, but it was clear that Koo took several steps back after a strong showing in the first week of OTAs.

According to ESPN's Rich Cimini, it was a "shaky day" for Koo, "who missed badly from 53 and again from 45. He was 3-for-5, hitting from 52. Cade York made his first four tries, then missed the final one from 52."

While Cimini noted that distances were approximations, that level of inconsistency is a clear sign of why the Jets moved on from Koo and turned to Sanders instead, with the hope that it will now become a battle between York and Sanders.

Jets' kicking competition has become a mess

While Krieg offered some upside thanks to his success internationally, the decision to turn to the veteran Koo initially appeared to be a beneficial move. After all, Koo led the NFL with 37 made field goals in 2020 and was a reliable 20-of-25 (80%) from 50 yards out during his first five seasons in the league.

However, he is only 9-of-17 since then from that distance and has not converted 80% or more of his field goals in a single season since 2023, so it is not a huge shock that the Jets moved on from him.

A hip injury forced Sanders to miss the entire 2025 season, and he was subsequently released in March by the Dolphins. The former All-Pro wasn't out of work for long, as the New York Giants signed him to a one-year deal during the first week of free agency.

But Sanders was embroiled in his own kicking competition with the Giants, who decided it was best to part ways, leading to the Jets immediately scooping him up.

When Sanders last played in 2024, he made 90.2% of his field goals (37-of-41) and was an absurd 12-of-14 from at least 50 yards. Furthermore, he converted 92.9% (26-of-28) of his extra-point attempts and has made an efficient 84.6% of his field goals in his career, making him a surefire contender for the starting spot.

As of now, York is his only competition after the recent moves. The Jets shockingly did not bring Nick Folk back for another season after he made all but one of his 29 field-goal attempts last season. This led to York being viewed as the frontrunner for the position.

However, York has struggled from distance in his brief NFL career and has only made 73.3% of his field goal attempts, which could lead to him getting kicked to the curb if he is not careful.

Nonetheless, there have been many positives from Jets OTAs, but the ever-changing competition has been the lone negative. Now that Krieg and Koo have been let go, the focus has shifted to the former Miami Dolphin and York, as the Jets have three months to figure out who is the best guy for the job.

Regardless of whether Sanders or York gets the position, or someone else who is not even on the roster at the moment steps in and overtakes them, the revolving door has just shown how terrible the team bungled not bringing Folk back in the offseason.

Despite his age, Folk was coming off his second-best season statistically and only missed one of his 15 attempts from 40 or more yards out in 2025, only for the Jets to let him depart to the Atlanta Falcons.

As Sanders returns from a hip injury and York gets over a groin injury, the Jets are depending on them to stay healthy and prove they can fill the void left behind by Folk.

Sanders has the better numbers in his career, but the fact that he and York are now the two kickers battling for the starting spot is a sign of the box the Jets find themselves in after a disappointing start to OTAs from their kicking room.

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