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New York Giants place kicker Graham Gano Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Most Indispensable Giants: The Team Has Suffered without This Honorable Mention

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Gene Clemons | Last updated May 19, 2025 8:00 AM ET

We kick off our latest series in which we, the editorial team of New York Giants On SI, voted for the most indispensable players on this year's Giants roster.

Up first is the first of our three “honorable mentions,” kicker Graham Gano.

Graham Gano, K

Graham Gano has been a great NFL kicker for a long time. He started with a brief three-year stint with the Commanders.

He then had a fruitful second act with the Carolina Panthers, and just when people thought his career was dead, he resurrected it with his third act with the New York Giants.

Over his first three seasons with Big Blue, he was a stabilizing force and scoring threat for New York. He connected on over 90% of his kicks and suited up for all 50 games from 2020 to 2022.

Over the past two seasons, Gano has suffered injuries that have limited his ability to participate, and the team has suffered because of it.

At 37 years old, he is on the final holes of the back nine of his career. The injuries could just be a part of the game that demands so much from a player's body, or they could indicate that Gano's body can no longer hold up to the rigors of the job.

Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but three times is a pattern. Gano has missed significant time for two consecutive seasons, hurting the team when he was gone.

The Giants can not afford to be caught off guard if the pattern reappears because he has been a weapon when he is playing.

Why He's Indispensable

Any quality NFL team has a kicker who is a threat anytime the team gets past the 50-yard line.

Gano arrived in New York and immediately became the Giants' leading scorer over his first three seasons. He scored 337 points over that time.

In 2022, he was the NFC East leader in field goals made. He was also 14th in the NFL in total points scored despite the team's limited number of touchdowns compared to the other top teams in the league.

One of the best indicators of a great kicker is his ability to be dominant at the easy things.

The best basketball shooter tends to be near automatic from the free-throw line, and the same should be true for kickers on extra points.

Since the NFL moved back the extra point, far fewer guys can claim near-automatic status.

Over a 17-game average, Gano has only missed one out of every 35 extra points he has attempted for his career since 2015, when the extra point was moved back.

We have seen the effects of Gano's absence from the Giants. Every kicker who has tried to replace Gano when he has been out with injury has had spotty results.

Last season, Greg Joseph was only four for seven on field goals from 40-49 yards, while Gano was four for five over the same distance.

What Happens if He’s Missing?

The Giants should be much better prepared if Gano has to miss time for any reason. They will likely compile a list of kickers who will be available and ready if Gano misses games.

Since we never truly know who will be on the week one roster, that list will likely be fluid throughout the season. The goal will be to have access to a quality kicker anytime they need one without wasting a roster spot on a second kicker.

The Giants are also grooming second-year kicker Jude McAtamney, who the team signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024, as Gano's eventual replacement.

The 25-year-old from Northern Ireland attended Chowan, a small D2 school in North Carolina, and Rutgers University.

In Week 9 of his rookie season, he was called on to fill in for Gano. He made his only extra point attempt and a 31-yard field goal.

He will hopefully reap the benefits of being around Gano for another season.

He will work with him and even against him in training camp, so if he is needed to step in (hopefully, there will not be), he is ready to perform to the standard that Gano set over his first three seasons with Big Blue.

Gano’s Ranking

It's pretty simple to see why Gano is on the “Honorable Mention” list. Anytime you can see the fall off from the starter to whoever replaces him, they are probably indispensable.

It's difficult to get him into the rankings because there are so many quality players, but he deserves to be recognized.

Moving Forward

We could be seeing Gano's last hurrah. At his age, it becomes challenging to stay healthy, but the Giants seem to have a plan in place. Hopefully, he can defy Father Time and regain the health and performance that made him one of the most reliable kickers in the league.

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