Who will win the NY Jets’ kicking competition?

A training camp kicker competition is officially underway for the New York Jets in Florham Park.

The competition features a familiar face, 40-year-old Nick Folk, alongside Missouri standout Harrison Mevis, who played in the UFL this year.

With competition heating up and every rep under the microscope, all eyes will be on this battle as camp progresses. Here is a closer look at how each kicker stacks up, what is at stake, and what to watch as the Jets search for their Week 1 answer.

The Candidates

Nick Folk

After a tryout at the team’s facility on Monday, the team wasted no time reuniting with Folk.

A longtime NFL veteran, Folk is no stranger to the Jets organization.

The 40-year-old kicker spent seven seasons with the Jets earlier in his career (2010-16), appearing in 104 regular season games and three playoff games. During that stretch, he became a fan favorite for his clutch kicks and steady production, converting over 82% of his field goal attempts and 99% of his extra points.

But Folk’s most impressive work has come in the twilight of his career.

Since revitalizing his game in New England, where he spent four seasons as the Patriots’ primary kicker, Folk has established himself as one of the most accurate legs in the league. Across 57 games with the Patriots (2019-22), Folk made 89.3% of his field goal attempts.

He carried that momentum into Tennessee in 2023, where he led the NFL in field goal percentage two years in a row, connecting on 50 of 52 attempts (96.2%) during that span. He also thrived from long range, drilling 11 of 12 kicks from beyond 50 yards.

Despite his age, Folk remains one of the NFL’s elite kickers.

Harrison Mevis

A four-year starter at Missouri, Mevis appeared in 50 games from 2020 to 2023. He converted 84% of his field goal attempts (89 of 106), a mark that ranks third in SEC history, trailing only NFL standouts Will Reichard and Evan McPherson. He also knocked through 148 of 149 extra points, a sterling 99.3% success rate.

The 243-pound kicker made headlines in 2023 when he drilled a 61-yard game-winner to lift unranked Missouri over No. 15 Kansas State, the longest field goal in SEC history. He also connected from 56 yards in 2021 and 2022, and hit from 54 yards out during his time in the UFL.

After going undrafted in 2024, Mevis signed with the Carolina Panthers but saw limited action, converting his only preseason attempt before being waived. He later joined the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions, where he thrived in 2025, hitting 20 of 21 field goals, including 13 of 14 from 40-plus yards.

Mevis has proven to be consistent from deep, knocking down 75% of kicks from beyond 50+ yards between his college and UFL careers. He also has an 83.3% conversion rate from 40-49 yards. However, he has shown occasional inconsistency on shorter attempts. At Missouri, he missed four kicks from 30 to 39 yards and two from inside 30.

Mevis arrives in Florham Park with legitimate upside and a chance to earn his first NFL job.

Who should win the job?

What makes this kicking competition particularly compelling is the contrasting value each candidate brings.

Folk offers stability and a proven NFL track record, while Mevis boasts youth, upside, and a booming leg that has turned heads from college to the UFL.

Both kickers will have ample opportunity to make their case throughout training camp and the preseason, but Folk enters with a clear edge.

In a league where consistency at the position is hard to come by, and after the Jets’ revolving-door struggles at kicker last season, banking on the reliability of a veteran makes sense.

Mevis may have long-term potential, especially with his success from distance, but in a results-driven league, the safer bet is the one who has delivered time and time again. For now, that’s Nick Folk.