0-7.
That was the New York Jets’ record in games decided by six points or fewer in the 2024 season.
They were the only NFL team to go winless in these games.
This can happen for a variety of reasons, but one of the main culprits for the Jets was their kicking. Across their seven losses by six points or fewer, New York missed four field goals and two extra points. That’s 14 points taken off the board over a stretch of games in which they were outscored by 25 points.
One would think the kicker position would be treated with the utmost importance after a season like this.
That does not seem to be the case.
Here is the Jets’ kicker depth chart as things stand:
- Greg Zuerlein
- Anders Carlson
- Caden Davis
Zuerlein and Carlson are the two kickers responsible for all of New York’s missed field goals and extra points last season. Davis is an undrafted rookie.
Are the Jets being too complacent at this position?
Let’s unpack each player’s resume to find out.
Caden Davis
An undrafted rookie, the 24-year-old Davis played six college seasons, starting off at Texas A&M (2019-22) before transferring to Ole Miss (2023-24) for a better chance to play.
Prior to the 2025 draft, Davis was ranked No. 699 on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, including No. 15 among kickers. It’s for good reason – he is not a very appealing prospect.
Davis made just 76.8% of his career field goal attempts (43 of 56). This number becomes even more concerning when you break it down by distance. He was a poor 12 of 16 (75%) from 30-39 yards. From 50+ yards, he was 4 of 9 (44.4%).
While Davis hit a career-high 82.8% of his attempts in 2024, he missed two extra points; remember, these are still only 20 yards in college football. Davis also missed two of his 10 attempts from 30-39 yards and went 2 of 4 from 50+ yards.
Perhaps the Jets believe they can salvage Davis’ premier talent. Back in 2019, he was ranked as the nation’s No. 2 kicker recruit by 247Sports. The No. 1 recruit in that class, Will Reichard, made his NFL debut in 2024 and had a strong season for the Vikings.
Davis does have some real upside thanks to his unique leg strength. He made a long of 57 yards back in high school, which is special for that age. Davis matched this in college, setting a record for the longest make in the history of LSU’s Tiger Stadium.
In addition, Davis is a weapon on kickoffs. This past season, Pro Football Focus rated him with the best kickoff grade in college football (94.7). Davis’ average kickoff hang time of 4.42 seconds led the nation, signifying his tremendous leg strength. It is an intriguing trait for a team that needs a kicker who can cut through the winds of Orchard Park and Foxborough.
Betting on Davis would fit snugly into the Jets’ offseason philosophy. New York believes in its coaching staff’s ability to develop high-ceiling players, even if there is risk involved. Davis’ pedigree and youth give him an intriguing ceiling. However, his inaccuracy in college (especially on shorter attempts) makes him a very risky bet.
Greg Zuerlein
A 13-year NFL veteran, Greg Zuerlein has been wildly inconsistent throughout his career.
Zuerlein’s 60% conversion rate in 2024 was a career low, but it was far from the first time he imploded. It was his fourth season with a field goal percentage below 75% and his second below 70%.
At the same time, Zuerlein has three career seasons above 92%, including his fantastic 2023 season with the Jets.
In over half of his seasons (7 of 13), Zuerlein was either below 75% or above 92%.
There is no way to predict what you will get from Greg the Leg. In fact, over the last 12 seasons, Zuerlein’s field goal percentage fluctuated an average of 12.6 points from his field goal percentage in the previous season. Six times, his percentage went up, and six times, his percentage went down.
Coming from his 60% mark in 2024, Zuerlein is extremely likely to trend up in 2025. But how far?
A 60% performance is so horrendous that Zuerlein must improve significantly just to become average again. As a 37-year-old kicker whose calling card has always been his leg strength, it is entirely possible that Zuerlein has run out of gas.
The Jets could have seen Zuerlein’s downfall coming in 2024. He missed two of his five field goal attempts in the preseason, both from under 50 yards (one from under 40). If they notice anything amiss throughout training camp and the preseason in 2025, they should not hesitate to send him packing.
Zuerlein has a $4.73 million cap number in 2025. If the Jets release him, they can save $4.15 million.
The $4.73 million number is obviously untenable, so at the very least, the Jets would negotiate a restructured deal with Zuerlein if they decide to keep him. Considering his track record, though, it is probably best to just cut him.
Anders Carlson
Carlson, who will turn 27 in June, was a 2023 sixth-round pick of the Packers.
Based on his college resume, it is shocking that the Auburn product was drafted. Carlson only made 71.8% of his field goal attempts in college, including 70.6% in his final season. Carlson missed three extra points in his career and was 5 of 17 on attempts from 50+ yards (29.4%).
In his rookie season for Green Bay, Carlson made 81.8% of his field goal attempts. He connected on a solid 3 of 5 from 50+, but struggled from 40-49 yards (4 of 8). Carlson was also poor on extra points, making just 87.2% of his attempts and missing five total (34 of 39).
The following August, Green Bay released Carlson after he missed a 32-yard field goal in the preseason. He was later picked up by the 49ers, for whom he played two games, making all five of his field goal attempts but missing one of his four extra points.
Carlson was released by San Francisco and wound up with the Jets’ practice squad. He was quickly elevated and would play five games for the team. Carlson made 8 of 10 field goal attempts (80%), hitting his only attempt from 50+ yards (career-long 58) but missing twice from 40-49 yards. He was only 9 of 11 on extra points (81.8%).
Overall, Carlson provides interesting upside with his performance on 50+ yard attempts, but he is very poor in the 40-49 yard range and on extra points. For his career, Carlson is 6 of 8 from 50+ yards (75%) with a long of 58, but he is only 9 of 15 from 40-49 yards (60%) and 46 of 54 on extra points (85.2%).
Is this enough?
Probably not.
Yes, all three players have a high ceiling due to their leg strength, and ceiling-chasing has been the Jets’ mantra this offseason. So, in that way, some people might argue that this room is sufficient.
The problem is that all three players have low chances of hitting their respective ceilings, high as they may hypothetically be.
Zuerlein is 37 years old, was the league’s worst kicker last season, and has essentially produced a random result each season throughout his career. Why should he be trusted?
Carlson has already been released by two teams in two seasons. He was poor in college and has not shown much to believe that will change in the NFL, as he is one of the league’s worst kickers on extra points and sub-50-yard attempts.
Davis had a strong pedigree coming out of high school, and his leg strength is obvious, but he was unimpressive in college and one of the lowest-ranked kicking prospects in this draft class.
Perhaps the Jets’ logic is that one of these three players is bound to work out. If that is the case, kudos to them for the confidence, because it is difficult to see the vision when looking at the numbers. Until any of these players prove otherwise, the Jets have a room of three wildly inaccurate kickers.
The Jets’ philosophy of betting on upside makes sense at other positions. If their coaches are up to snuff, the Jets can make the most of physically gifted players, the same way that model franchises like Baltimore and Philadelphia consistently do.
Can this really happen at kicker, though?
New York’s special teams coordinator is Chris Banjo, who spent 10 NFL seasons as one of the league’s top gunners. Kicking is not his expertise. There is not much he can do to help these guys out.
The Jets only have one other special teams coach listed on their staff, special teams assistant Kevin O’Dea. His background lies with wide receivers and defensive backs.
O’Dea is a veteran special teams coach who has been working with special teams units since joining the San Diego Chargers as a defensive and special teams assistant in 1994. He also worked under legendary special teams coach Mike Westhoff with the Jets from 2008-09 and again with the Saints from 2017-18. Perhaps O’Dea has picked up some kicking knowledge along the way.
For the most part, though, kicking is a highly specialized and individualized skill. Kickers hone their craft on their own time with their own personal coaches, and then they show up to practice and work by themselves on a side field. The coaching staff is not there to mentor them.
All the team can do is follow the numbers. The front office’s job is to add kickers whose career resumes offer the best odds of success. The coaching staff’s job is to watch them kick in practices and games, count how many go through the uprights, and roll with the guy who does the best.
There is no developing or coaching to be done. There is no “human” element of buying into a guy’s character. It’s an extremely straightforward evaluation process: How consistently can you put the ball through the uprights in a game?
In this case, the Jets have given themselves low odds of success by loading the roster with three kickers who enter the 2025 season with poor track records. Some might call it a bet on upside, but it’s actually just careless.
The following kickers are free agents:
- Nick Folk (92.1% FG since 2022, 95.5% in 2024)
- Eddy Pineiro (88.9% FG since 2022, 84.6% in 2024)
- Matt Prater (87.5% FG since 2022, 6 for 6 in 2024)
- Austin Seibert (86.1% FG since 2022, 90% in 2024)
With four strong options available, sitting around with three unreliable kickers is flat-out negligence by Darren Mougey and the Jets.
Even if one of the Jets’ three current kickers works out, it would not let them off the hook for suboptimal management of the position. What good reason do the Jets have to not invest in kickers who provide better odds of success?
Perhaps they would fire back with a cap-related reason. To that I respond, is penny-pinching a million dollars or two worth rolling the dice on three poor kickers when multiple solid ones are available? Why not just cut Zuerlein ($4.15 million in savings) and put some of that money toward a new kicker?
If the Jets do not take this position seriously, there is a reasonable chance they will live to regret it when multiple close games slip from their grasp. Mougey should be honest with himself about how likely it is that any of his three kickers actually work out, and get a better option in the building pronto.
