The New York Jets couldn’t even go a whole week without a kicker controversy.

Just six days after special teams coordinator Chris Banjo declared Jason Sanders the winner of the team’s kicking competition, the team went out and claimed former Indianapolis Colts kicker Blake Grupe off waivers.

Sanders had a rough week. The day before Banjo’s announcement, he made two of five field goal attempts in practice. A few days later, he missed two kicks in the Jets’ preseason finale, including an extra point and a 54-yard attempt, which fell short.

Now, Grupe has been added to the roster, which at least means that Sanders’ job is in jeopardy. It remains to be seen whether Grupe has taken Sanders’ spot on the 53-man roster or if the two will compete over the next week.

Is Grupe an upgrade over Sanders, or did the Jets merely swap one unreliable kicker for another?

Blake Grupe’s career resume

A 2023 undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame, Grupe defeated veteran Wil Lutz for the New Orleans Saints’ kicking job in his rookie season.

Grupe’s rookie year had its ups and downs. He went 6 of 9 on 50+ yard attempts, which is a decent 66.7% conversion rate (the league average since 2023 is 69.2%), and had a long of 55 yards. He also went an impressive 40 for 40 on extra points.

However, Grupe missed four kicks from under 50 yards, including two from under 30 yards. Overall, he made 30 of 37 field goal attempts (81.1%).

The 2024 season saw Grupe emerge as one of the league’s better kickers. He made 27 of 31 field goal attempts (87.1%), including 6 of 8 from 50+ yards with a long of 57. His consistency from under 50 yards improved, as he went 21 of 23 (91.3%). However, he missed two extra points.

Things fell apart for Grupe in 2025. Through 11 games with the Saints, he had made just 18 of 26 field goal attempts (69.2%). That included a whopping five misses from under 50 yards, while he went just 3 of 6 from 50+ yards.

Grupe’s struggles caused him to be released by the Saints. He caught on with the Colts and finished strong over his final five games, making all 11 of his field goal attempts, including a 4 for 4 performance from 50+ yards with a career-long of 60.

This year’s preseason saw Grupe lose the Colts’ kicking job to Spencer Shrader, who stole the show with makes from 60 and 61 yards. Grupe missed two of his four attempts, coming from 36 and 61 yards.

Overall, Grupe comes to the Jets with a clear set of strengths and weaknesses.

On the positive side, he has solid leg strength (career-long of 60 yards) with decent consistency on 50+ yard attempts (70.4% career conversion rate vs. league-average 69.2%), and he is also incredibly consistent on extra points, making 96 of 98 career attempts (98.0%, highest among active kickers).

The downside is that Grupe is alarmingly prone to missing chip shots. Since entering the league, he has the third-most misses from under 50 yards (11), including the most from under 40 yards (5). The fact that he just missed a 36-yarder in the preseason is not encouraging in this regard.

Here is a breakdown of Grupe’s career field goal percentages in each distance range, compared to the NFL averages.

Grupe has some strengths in his game, and for a few stretches in his career, he looked like a capable starting kicker. He has also had stretches where he looked unplayable, though.

It’s prudent that the Jets are not settling for Sanders after his recent struggles and 2025 hip injury, but they weren’t going to find a surefire upgrade off the scrap heap. Grupe is similarly unreliable. That’s just the reality of their kicking situation right now.