Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jets show they are serious about their youth rebuild in an unexpected area

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Mike Antoniou | Last updated May 16, 2025 6:22 PM ET

The New York Jets appear to have one goal in mind this offseason and it is driving them at every turn. New head coach Aaron Glenn and new GM Darren Mougey have a clear vision in their mind and they are using it to drive every single decision they make.

Unfortunately for the playoff starved fans of the New York Jets, the vision is not to get better. It is not to put the best possible team on the field. It is to get younger.

I wrote earlier this season, during the height of free agency how the Jets seemed to be solely focused on age when it came to the players they signed or even flirted with in free agency. From the mediocre quarterback they plan to hand the reins to this season to the downright terrible cornerback they plan to start opposite Sauce Gardner. It appears that youth-before-skill movement has finally made its way to the special teams.

Earlier in the week, the Jets cut ties with 39-year-old punter Thomas Morstead, one of the best punters in the NFL despite his age. Morstead, a Super Bowl champion with the Saints, led the NFL in punts and yardage, and dropped 36-of-99 kicks inside the 20-yard line in 2023. He wasn’t used as frequently last season, but still averaged 47.2 yards per attempt.

Thank you for everything you've done in the Green & White, @thomasmorstead pic.twitter.com/CrApg8hiO3
— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 13, 2025

On Friday, the team announced they did the same with the other big specialist on the team, cutting Greg Zuerlein.

For all you've given to the Jets, thank you Greg pic.twitter.com/LU9S3yveq2
— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 16, 2025

On Friday, the team announced they did the same with the other big specialist on the team, cutting Greg Zuerlein. Don’t get me wrong, the 37-year-old Zuerlein is coming off one of the worst years of his career. In fact, some Jets fans would argue if he made a few makeable kicks last year, the season might have gone very differently.

Still, the Jets are trading the known for the unknown. The Jets signed UDFA 22-year-old Kai Kroeger. Kroeger will compete against Austin McNamara, 24, who signed with the team in March but has never punted in a game. He was undrafted in 2024 and cut by the Bengals last August.

In the kicking department, the Jets will have an open competition between 26-year-old Anders Carlson and UDFA Caden Davis out of Mississippi.

This feels like a season that is going to be built on the excuse of “still learning” and a “young team”. I have no problem with a youth movement, but at some point you need some veteran leadership and you need to make sure the talent matches the youth. Right now, it appears the Jets are only focused on the youth.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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