Kicking was a disaster for the Jets in 2019.
Between Chandler Catanzaro retiring out of the blue, Kaare Vedvik missing two kicks on opening day and Sam Ficken being hit or miss the rest of the way, the Jets failed to kick with consistency last season.
Ficken, who only made 70.4 percent of his field goals for the Jets, going 19-27 in addition to going 23-26 on extra-point attempts. In total, he missed 11 kicks and hindered the Jets more than he helped. Ficken, an exclusive rights free agent, will likely be let go, as the Jets signed former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher to a reserve/futures deal in December.
That said, the Jets still need to bring in kicking competition for Maher, whether it comes from free agency or the draft. However, there are some kickers the Jets should avoid at all costs. Let’s take a look.
Adam Vinatieri
Father time has finally caught up to the greatest kicker the sport has ever seen.
In 2019, Adam Vinatieri hit just 68 percent of his field goals while costing Colts three different games. For a team that finished 7-9, that was the difference between missing the playoffs and potentially winning the AFC South Division title.
Vinatieri has played 24 seasons in the NFL, only playing for two teams in the process. Although the future Hall of Famer has spent the past 14 seasons in Indianapolis, he will hit the open market. There is no guarantee he will return to the Colts for a 15th season.
With Vinatieri’s best days clearly behind him, he shouldn’t be anywhere near the Jets’ radar. Vinatieri may still want to kick, ending his storied career on his own terms. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be in New York.
Nick Folk
Bringing back an old face at kicker turned out to be disastrous for the Jets last season.
After bringing Chandler Catanzaro back, the kicker subsequently retired after a shaky training camp. That left New York with Taylor Bertolet, Kaare Vedvik and Sam Ficken, Missed field goals became a common theme between the trio.
Turning to Nick Folk this offseason isn’t the answer. The organization parted ways with Folk once before and bringing him back to New York makes no sense for either party. Folk made 82.4 percent of his field goals in New England this past season, but he struggled with his range, going 5-8 on attempts beyond 40 yards.
The Jets need to bring in someone who can hit both accurately and from long range.
Stephen Gostkowski
Stephen Gostkowski is one of the league’s highest-paid kickers and coming off the worst season of his career.
The Patriots can save $3.9 million in cap space by cutting Gostkowski, opting for someone much younger than a 36-year-old kicker coming off season-ending hip surgery. Bill Belichick has moved on from more important players for less money.
If Tom Brady can leave this offseason, then cutting Gostkowski isn’t far-fetched, even if he has three Super Bowl rings and has been one of the more reliable kickers in the NFL for a better part of a decade.
With Gostkowksi being a potential cap casualty, the Jets shouldn’t bite. He missed four extra points in four games before a hip injury landed him on the shelf for the remainder of the season.
Aldrick Rosas
Aldrick Rosas potentially switching locker rooms at MetLife Stadium is an intriguing proposition for the Jets.
Rosas, who is a restricted free agent, had a poor 2019 season after being selected to the Pro Bowl in 2018. He went 12-17 on kicks, including 1-5 from 40 yards or greater. It was very similar to his 2017 campaign, in that it was inconsistent.
With the Giants bringing in Joe Judge, the former New England Patriots special teams coach, it’s unlikely that the team will give up on the 25-year-old just yet. In fact, the Giants will probably be able to get away with tendering Rosas at an original round tender.
The Jets shouldn’t forfeit a draft choice.
Nick Novak
Nick Novak hasn’t kicked in the NFL since 2017, but may re-immerse himself this offseason. Novak is the current starting placekicker for the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL. Before that he was kicking for the Birmingham Iron of the now-defunct AAF.
Novak has kicked for nine different NFL teams but was a mainstay with the then-San Diego Chargers during the last decade. Novak was recently named to the Chargers’ all-decade team despite three different stints with the team. Novak also played in NFL Europe and the United Football League.
After missing a 44-yard field goal in the Wildcats’ 17-14 loss at the hands of the New York Guardians on Saturday, Novak is now 2-4 on field goals for the season.
If the Jets do look to the XFL for kicking help, following the commencement of its spring season, they should be looking at kickers like Matthew McCrane and Austin MacGinnis, rather than a reclamation project like Novak.
