Jets Continue Special Teams Purge By Cutting Kicker

The New York Jets hit the reset button after their disastrous 2024 campaign.

That began before the season was over with the firings of head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. Early in the offseason, they were replaced by Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey, respectively. Soon after, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was granted a (short) meeting and told that there’d be a new face under center. Justin Fields will lead the Jets into battle in 2025.

Glenn and Mougey have begun reshaping the roster in their vision through free agency in the NFL Draft, and that impact has continued deep into the offseason.

On May 13, New York released fan-favorite punter Thomas Morstead. Friday afternoon, the Jets’ special teams purge continued when they cut kicker Greg Zuerlein.

The release was a corresponding move for signing defensive end Michael Fletcher.

Zuerlein spent three seasons with the Jets and had a rather inconsistent tenure. In Year 1, he hit 81.1 percent of his field goals. But after Rodgers went down and Zach Wilson piloted the offense in 2023, his heroics helped keep enough points on the board for New York to avoid disaster for much of the year, converting 35-of-38 field goals and 5-of-6 from 50+ yards.

In 2024, his age-37 season, the wheels fell off. He dealt with a knee injury that landed him on injured reserve for much of the season. Zuerlein was active for just eight games and hit a mere nine of his 15 field goal attempts.

Further adding to his struggles was the circumstances in which they came. In three games last season, New York lost by fewer points than what Zuerlein left off the board with missed kicks.

Depending on the designation attached to his release, New York stands to gain $2.4 million or $4.1 million (post-June 1) from the move, per Over the Cap.

The Jets will move forward with kickers Anders Carlson and Caden Davis, the latter having signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2025 NFL Draft.

If this is the end for Zuerlein, he will have plenty of accomplishments to look back on. He ranks 26th on the all-time field goal leaderboard and earned All-Pro honors in 2017.