The New York Jets watched veteran kicker Nick Folk walk to the Atlanta Falcons in free agency, leaving big shoes to fill on special teams.
New York has added a player to at least compete for the vacancy left by Folk. Cade York has agreed to terms with the team on a one-year deal.
The terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed as of this writing.
York, 25, was a fourth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2022 after a tremendous college career at LSU. The former Tigers standout failed to translate his success to the NFL, however.
In his rookie season, York made just 75% of his field goal attempts (24 of 32), including three misses from under 40 yards. After a brutal 2023 preseason that saw him miss four of his eight field goal attempts, York was waived.
York didn’t get his next chance to kick in the NFL until 2024, when he won the Washington Commanders’ job after a perfect preseason. However, after going 0-for-2 in the season opener, he was waived. Later in the year, York played five games for the Cincinnati Bengals, making 9 of 11 field goals (81.8%) and 14 of 15 extra points (93.3%).
York did not appear in a game this past season.
For his career, York has made 73.3% of his field goal attempts in the regular season and 68.4% in the preseason. He is far from an inspiring replacement option for Folk, who missed three field goals over the last three seasons combined, while leading the league in field goal percentage each year.
Folk joined the Falcons on a two-year, $9 million deal with $4 million guaranteed. It was hardly a lucrative deal for someone who missed one field goal for the Jets last year.
Instead, it looks like Jets fans will once again have to hold their collective breath for every field goal attempt.
York will almost certainly compete with another kicker to be added later. Still, his track record through four NFL seasons is anything but promising, raising questions about why the Jets did not reunite with the near-automatic kicker they already had.
