Jim Cerny
The head-spinning kicking carousel continued for the New York Jets on Wednesday, when they signed former All-Pro Jason Sanders and released Younghoe Koo. This after Koo was signed last week and rookie Lenny Krieg was cut, after he outlasted fellow undrafted free agent Will Ferrin, who was released in May after kicking for six days in rookie camp.
Got all that?
And that’s not even mentioning that the frontrunner in the kicking competition this offseason is Cade York, who missed part of OTAs last week with a groin issue.
Nor does this even get into their history with kickers. The Jets deployed eight different kickers since 2017, including three in 2021 — Matt Amendola, Eddy Pineiro, and Alex Kessman. Veteran Nick Folk had a terrifc year in 2025, but left the Jets to sign a two-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason.
Now, Gang Green will have another new kicker this season. And the hope is that Sanders, an All-Pro with the Miami Dolphins in 2020, can stay healthy and regain his top form to win the job during training camp.
Jets sign Jason Sanders to compete with Cade York for kicking job
From 2018-24, there weren’t many more steady kickers in the NFL than Sanders. He didn’t miss a single game, kicking in 116 straight for the Dolphins, nailing 84.6 percent of his field-goal attempts and 96.6 percent of his extra points.
Three times Sanders connected on better than 90 percent of his field goal attempts, including a career-best 92.3 percent (36 for 39) in his All-Pro season. In 2024, his last healthy season, Sanders drilled 37 of 41 field-goal attempts (90.2 percent), including a 57-yarder that tied his career long.
Sanders sustained a puzzling hip injury during pregame warmups prior to a preseason clash against the Jacksonville Jaguars a year ago, and missed the entire 2025 season. He subsequently was released by the Dolphins, finishing third in franchise history with 826 points. The 30-year-old then signed with the Giants this offseason, before they released him Tuesday after failing to impress during OTAs.
If Sanders makes the final cut, he could face his former team twice in the regular season, since the Jets and Dolphins are AFC East rivals. The Jets host the Dolphins on Oct. 25, and travel down to Miami for a rematch at Hard Rock Stadium on Nov. 29.
