New York Jets retain their veteran kicker
The kicker position has not been a problem for the New York Jets over the past two seasons, and it’s because of a man who will be returning to the team for two more years.
On Monday morning, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Jets have agreed to re-sign kicker Greg Zuerlein to a new contract. The deal is for two years and $8.4 million, a pay raise from the kicker’s previous contract.
The #Jets and K Greg Zuerlein have reached an agreement on a 2-year deal for $8.4M, per me and @TomPelissero. A nice pay raise for the kicker.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2024
At $4.2 million per year, Zuerlein’s contract ranks 11th among kickers in terms of average annual value.
Retaining Zuerlein was a no-brainer for New York, as he has shored up a position that was previously a revolving door for the organization.
In two seasons with the Jets, the veteran has made 65 field goals on 75 attempts, an 87% conversion rate. Zuerlein has been borderline automatic from short distances, missing one field goal inside of 40 yards on 32 attempts in the past two years.
Zuerlein has also been highly effective from a distance with the Jets. In 2023, Zuerlein hit 13 of 14 field goals from 40-49 yards and five of six field goals from 50+ yards.
On top of that, Zuerlein was one of the best clutch performers at his position.
Not only was Greg Zuerlein consistent last year, but he was clutch. Made kicks that mattered.
He totaled +61.4% WPA (Win Probability Added) on his kicks, per Next Gen Stats, which ranked 1st among all kickers.
— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) March 11, 2024
Without an effective quarterback over the past two seasons, Zuerlein has been a primary reason the Jets have been able to score enough points to stay in games. If the Jets did not have strong production from their kicker, they would not have won nearly as many games as they did.
In 2024, Zuerlein should hopefully be supplemented by an offense that consistently puts points on the board. If the Jets can manage to achieve that, “Greg The Leg” will become a very useful weapon that helps to seal a number of big Jets victories.
