Pressure Rises on Jets Kicker Competition as New Name Becomes Available

Tuesday marked the arrival of veteran players to Florham Park, NJ, meaning the Jets' 2026 training camp is officially underway. The first practice will be held on Wednesday, kickstarting several position battles across the roster.

Although some Jets fans will be locked into the backup quarterback battle and the various secondary competitions, the showdown to decide next year's kicker is among the most important.

New York is without a clear-cut starting kicker after Nick Folk left Gotham to sign a two-year contract with the Falcons in free agency. As such, Cade York (signed to a one-year contract in March) and Jason Sanders (claimed off waivers via the Giants in June) are set to go head-to-head throughout training camp to decide who'll lead the Jets' kicking unit.

While both kickers still have plenty of time to beat the other for the job, Sanders and York might be feeling a bit more pressure than before now that the Jets have a new option to consider.

Lukas Havrisik's Packers release gives Jets some food for thought

Kicker-needy teams have a new target on the menu now that the Packers are waiving kicker Lucas Havrisik, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein on Tuesday. The 26-year-old special-teamer has spent time with five organizations since the 2022 NFL season, most recently spending last year in Green Bay after a brief run in the United Football League.

The plot thickens. The #Packers have waived kicker Lucas Havrisik, according to a source. https://t.co/gACOgvybyk
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) July 28, 2026

Havrisik isn't on the Jets' roster, but it isn't hard to fathom why he might end up on their radar at the very least. The former Arizona Wildcat was solid for the most part for the Packers in 2025, seeing his first regular-season action in two years.

Although he missed two of his nine extra-point attempts (77.8%), he still connected on all four field-goal tries, including a franchise-record 61-yarder against the Cardinals in Week 7.

Packers kicker Lucas Havrisik drills a 61-yarder before the half!

GBvsAZ on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/RDSipiR0HF
— NFL (@NFL) October 19, 2025

Sanders and York have their fair share of experience too, but neither is a lock at this point in training camp.

York hasn't played meaningful NFL games since the 2024 season, when he spent six games between the Commanders and Bengals. Probably for good reason. The LSU product connected on an abysmal 69.2% of field goals (9-of-13) that season, overshadowing his 94.1 XP% (16-of-17). He wasn't good enough for the Saints to give him a look after he signed with them in November, and it's hard to imagine much has changed about his efficiency since then.

Sanders is much more experienced than York, boasting 118 appearances between the regular season and playoffs—as well as a first-team All-Pro appearance (2020). It was only last year that he had the second-best FG rate (90.2%) of his career with the Dolphins.

That said, Sanders's outlook isn't the sure-fire thing it once was after being the clear-cut odd man out of the Giants' kicker competition, now headlined by Dominic Zvada and Ben Sauls. If he couldn't beat that duo, why should the Jets feel confident about him as their starting kicker?

As Sanders and York attempt to navigate the upcoming bumpy waters, Havrisik's availability should interest the Jets. They don't need to add him immediately, but it's nice to know that he could be a name that's out there if New York's kicking duo struggles to provide special teams coordinator Chris Banjo with much confidence.

Fans should keep a close eye on any update that this competition brings, as any mistake could bring the Jets one step closer to bringing in Havrisik (or another leg altogether).

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