After a revolving door of kickers came through One Jets Drive in 2019, New York is in the market for a legman once again.
The Jets planned on Chandler Catanzaro being their starting place kicker last season, but he decided to retire during training camp. Then came Kaare Vedvik, who lasted all of one game for the Jets. They finished the season with Sam Ficken, who had his ups and downs and is now an impending free agent.
Kicking was a huge problem for the Jets in 2019 and they need to find stability at the position. They can’t lose games because of their kicker missing an extra point or field goal.
So, let’s take a look at what kickers New York can target in free agency.
Ka’imi Fairbairn
Ka’imi Fairbain is one of the youngest available kickers and he has been pretty consistent over his three-year career.
Fairbain has made at least 80 percent of his field goals in three seasons with the Texans. His best season came in 2018 when he went 37-42 on field goal attempts. Last season, Fairbain didn’t get as many opportunities, but was 20-25.
The only concern with Fairbain is kicking from 50+ yards out. In 2019, Fairbain made 50 percent of his field goals from 50 or more yards. He was better from that distance the two previous years at 66.7 and 75 percent.
At 26 years old, Fairbain would be a solid get for the Jets. He won’t come cheap, but if the Jets want to have a consistent kicker, then they should pay Fairbain what he’s worth.