At first blush, New York Jets teammates Aaron Rodgers and Thomas Morstead don’t seem to have much in common.
Rodgers is the face of the franchise and one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He’s a major star with a massive personality, perfectly suited for his lead role in this season’s edition of Hard Knocks.
Morstead is a punter, a player who flies under the radar nearly all the time. Hard Knocks featured him briefly in one episode, when teammates and coaches had a laugh on the sidelines watching Morstead’s unusual habit of sprinting the length of the field after a placement hold for kicker Greg Zuerlein.
But Morstead does share similarities with Rodgers. Morstead is one of the oldest players on the Jets (37) and is in his 15th NFL season. Rodgers is the oldest (39), and this is his 19th season. Each player has one Super Bowl ring; and each is among the best in the league at his position. Both Morstead and Rodgers were acquired this offseason to replace younger players who struggled in 2022 (punter Braden Mann was released and Zach Wilson is the No. 2 quarterback behind Rodgers now).
And Morstead is equally committed to winning and his craft as Rodgers.
“All I know is I love doing everything it takes to be great,” Morstead told Sportsnaut. “I feel like I’m playing at a very high level. And as long as that continues, I don’t see myself stopping. I just love it too much.”
With the Miami Dolphins last season, Morstead was among the league leaders, placing 45.9 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line. His two touchbacks were second-fewest among those with 60 punts. And his 46.4-yard average was right in line with his career mark of 46.5.
In short, he’s still got it.
“I just try and demonstrate my commitment every single day, to be the best version of myself,” Morstead explained. “Setting my own high standards for myself and following through.”
Leadership is something Morstead understands is part of his role with the Jets. Though he also gets it that, well, he’s a punter, and kickers are often viewed as separate entities on the roster.
“It is not just a perception that it’s different being a kicker. It is different,” Morstead said. “You don’t hit people and you don’t get hit. It’s a sport of personal sacrifice and hitting. So, it’s very hard to be a rah-rah type of leader.”
“But the way I think of leading is just being great at my job and also training hard with the guys all offseason and in season. The guys want to see you’re invested and all-in.”
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New York Jets were already familiar with Thomas Morstead’s skills
Morstead is a big (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) athletic punter. In Miami’s 34-31 Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills last season, Morstead became the second oldest punter since 2000 to record a special teams tackle.
The Jets knew Morstead well before signing him this offseason. Not only did they face him twice in AFC East clashes against the Dolphins a year ago, but Morstead punted in seven games with the Jets in 2021 when Mann was injured.
He made a significant impression on coach Robert Saleh and special teams coach Brant Boyer, averaging 48.2 yards per kick. That led to a reunion this season.
“I’m fired up because of the people and the opportunity,” Morstead explained. “When you sign as a free agent, there’s uncertainty on both sides of the aisle. Those weren’t question marks here on either side. There was more certainty just knowing who you’re dealing with. I already knew I fit really well here.”
That speaks to the people involved. But what about the opportunity with the Jets? They were 7-10 last season but are on the rise with a talented young roster and, you may have heard, now have Rodgers as their quarterback.
“I feel like this team has a shot to do something really special this year,” Morstead offered. “It’s probably 8-10 teams that really have a chance to win the Super Bowl each year. And I think this is one of them this season. So, I’m super excited about that.”
But Morstead, who helped the New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV as a rookie in 2010, sounded a warning for the Jets, who’ve failed to make the playoffs 12 seasons running.
“We haven’t done a damn thing yet,” he said. “Until you hit adversity, you don’t know who you are. Time will tell.”
Speaking of Super Bowl XLIV, Morstead played a major role in the comeback victory against the Indianapolis Colts. It’s something that “I’ve carried throughout my career.”
With the Saints trailing 10-6 at halftime, coach Sean Payton told Morstead, who also handled kickoffs for them, that he wanted an onside kick to begin the second half.
Morstead’s thought at that moment?
“This is pretty f*#!ing aggressive.”
That and “I was terrified and had initial panic. I mean there were only 100 million people watching and if I mess it up, the Colts could go and score and I could lose us the game.”
Morstead nailed it. The Saints recovered the kick and went on to win 31-17.
So, do his new teammates, players who were young kids at the time like Sauce Gardner or Garrett Wilson, know of their punter’s place in Super Bowl history?
“Yeah, I think guys are aware,” Morstead said. “It’s cool being an older player. Guys give you a hard time for it, but at the same time, guys that are smart want what you’ve got. They want to have the career you’ve had, the big plays, the championship.”
“It’s cool to be on this team with the young player that you can help mentor and where there’s a chance to do something special together.”
Related: See where Aaron Rodgers lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings