Punter Matt Araiza will work out with the New York Jets on Wednesday, ESPN reported, citing Araiza’s agent.
Araiza’s rookie season ended abruptly last August before it started. He had won the punting job in Buffalo, but the Bills released him two days after a young woman filed a civil suit accusing Araiza and two of his former San Diego State teammates of gang rape when she was 17.
The district attorney’s office declined to press criminal charges last December, and San Diego State officials said last week that an investigation found no evidence against Araiza.
A May 9 report from Yahoo Sports said a review of transcripts in the case shows that Araiza, now 23, wasn’t present at the San Diego residence at the time the woman said the assault occurred on Oct. 15, 2021.
A civil lawsuit filed by the woman is pending.
Araiza, who won the Ray Guy Award in 2021 as the nation’s best college punter, was drafted by the Bills with the first pick of the sixth round in the 2022 draft. In his final season at San Diego State, he set an NCAA record with an average of 51.19 yards per punt.
In March, the Jets signed veteran punter Thomas Morstead to a one-year, $1.32 million contract that contains nearly $1.1 million in guarantees.
–Field Level Media