Will rookie kicker Justin Rohrwasser make it to the regular season?
The New England Patriots officially re-signed kicker Nick Folk and signed defensive lineman Michael Barnett on Monday.
Folk, 35, played seven games for the Patriots last season after Stephen Gostkowski went down for the season with a hip injury. He made 14-of-17 field goals and hit all 12 of his extra point attempts. Folk earned Pro Bowl honors in 2007 as a rookie and has provided reliability through his career.
The Patriots drafted Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round this year and he appeared to be the outright starter until now. Folk could either have been signed to kick Rohrwasser into the next gear, or he’s the better candidate and Rohrwasser is gone.
Barnett, 23, played in 46 games with the Georgia Bulldogs and accumulated 47 tackles over that time. The 6-foot-4, 304 pound lineman had his best season in 2019 after playing in 13 games and recording a career-high 23 tackles.
The Patriots defensive line primarily consists of Lawerence Guy, Beau Allen, Adam Butler, Deatrich Wise and Byron Cowart. It’s unlikely Barnett cracks that lineup and makes the 53-man roster, but he’ll get his chance with three weeks until the season begins.
The Patriots are bringing back veteran kicker Nick Folk.
The New England Patriots are bringing in a familiar face to add depth at the kicking position. Saturday, the Patriots brought in kicker Nick folk for a visit. As noted by Ian Raoport, he will sign with the team on Monday, once he goes through protocol.
Last season, Folk was signed by New England, shortly after the team released Mike Nugent. On November 28, 2019, it was discovered that Folk had an appendectomy. He was released the day after, and the team signed Kai Forbath.
While with New England, Folk made 14-of-17 field goals and all 12 extra points he attempted.
The #Patriots are having free agent K Nick Folk in for a visit, and the plan is for him to sign Monday, source said. He’ll go through the protocol first.
This will bring in competition for rookie Justin Rohrwasser. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact Folk can make on the kicking game in his second go-around.
With Aldrick Rosas facing some serious legal problems, here’s a look at five kickers the New York Giants could sign.
New York Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas was arrested and charged with a hit and run in California earlier this week, but that may be just the beginning of his legal problems.
In addition to a hit and run, Rosas was charged with driving with a suspended license and could also face DUI charges after fleeing the scene of the crash and later being discovered walking roughly a mile away covered in blood.
At the very least, Rosas can expect to hear from the NFL regarding a suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, which means the Giants are in a pickle.
Here’s a quick look at five kickers the team could potentially sign to replace Rosas or bridge the gap on any potential suspension.
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Ryan Succop
The Tennessee Titans remain open to bringing Ryan Succop back in 2020, but they may have competition for his services now.
Succop was derailed by injuries last season, seeing action in just six games while making two stints on injured reserve. Prior to that, the veteran had not missed a single game in his career and was a fairly reliable placekicker.
Succop has connected on 82.2% of his field goal attempts and 97.1% of his point after attempts throughout his 11-year NFL career.
Here are nine free agent options the Patriots can explore before the 2020 season.
The 2020 season will bring in a new era for the New England Patriots.
Without Tom Brady suiting up in Foxborough, a new identity will have to be formed. It all begins with Bill Belichick and how he decides to construct the team. He’s appearing to build a run-heavy offensive team that relies on solid defense and special teams. Unfortunately for Belichick, he lost some key defensive players who anchored the unit in 2019.
The Patriots had a quiet free agency and went to the NFL draft to fill the necessary holes. They managed to plug some of these holes with talented rookies — but that’s what they still are, rookies. Another issue the Patriots ran into this offseason is the lack of cap space — currently carrying less than $1 million to pay out. There are numerous solutions and ways to create cap space, but Belichick will have to get creative.
Given the idea New England can free up some finances — here are 9 available free agents the team could look into to solidify the 53-man roster.
Cam Newton, QB
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Cam Newton is one of the most controversial free agents on the market right now. The former MVP is 31-years-old and coming off shoulder and foot injuries that sidelined him for 16 games over the past two seasons. He’s by far the most talented free agent in the group, but injury concerns have kept him on the market.
The Patriots are going forward with Jarrett Stidham right now and he would be the cheaper option. But, Newton would be more equipped for the magnitude of replacing Brady and New England is the betting favorite to land him. Anything can happen before the NFL season begins, and Newton to the Patriots isn’t the most unrealistic possibility.
Mike Daniels, DL
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The biggest weakness on New England’s historically good defense last season was the defensive line. Opposing teams began exposing the weakness and realized the best opportunities came on the ground. Danny Shelton took off in free agency, leaving Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler to pick up the slack. The Patriots also have Byron Cowart and added Beau Allen in free agency, but they could use some help still.
Mike Daniels, 31, only played nine games last year with the Detroit Lions because of an arm injury. He’s been extremely reliable his entire career and is in a scenario where the Patriots could have contract leverage — due to his age and recent injury. Daniels is a run-stuffing starter who could provide some much-needed value in the trenches.
Tennessee needs a reliable placekicker, and in a bad way.
The Tennessee Titans have never seemed to be on the right track as much as they are now, considering the team’s recent history — but there was one position that was a consistently glaring need last season that still hasn’t been fully addressed.
Tennessee needs a reliable placekicker, and in a bad way.
The team went through Ryan Succop, Cody Parkey and Cairo Santos before arriving at Greg Joseph, who made his lone field goal attempt last year but is still far from proven.
Here’s a look at three names the Titans could target in free agency to remedy the situation, or at least give Joseph some competition in camp.
Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Stephen Gostkowski
Gostkowski should be at the top of any team’s list currently in the market at the position.
Over 14 seasons, he’s made 87.4% of his field goal attempts, recording a success rate of 90% or higher in five instances.
Health could be a concern, considering he had hip surgery last season and was limited to just four appearances. Even so, a healthy Gostkowski is one of the league’s best and he’s every bit worth jumping on right now.
“Steve Gostkowski’s one of the greatest kickers of all time.”
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The New England Patriots are releasing kicker Stephen Gostkowski, according to multiple reports.
A hip injury cut short Gostkowski’s final season in New England in 2019. The team placed Gostkowki on injured reserve to heal. He finished the season kicking 7 of 8 on field goals and 11 of 15 on extra points. His 14-year career in New England comes to an end with a 87.4 field goal percentage and a 98.3 extra point percentage.
The news comes during an offseason of significant turnover for the team, with quarterback Tom Brady leaving for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He and Gostkowski are one of many notable Patriots to leave the team, including Duron Harmon (traded to Detroit), Kyle Van Noy (signed with Miami) and Jamie Collins (signed with Detroit).
New England has no kicker on the roster. Nick Folk, who took over for Gostkowski in 2019, is a free agent.
BREAKING: The #Patriots are releasing K Stephen Gostkowski today, per league source. Three-time Super Bowl champ is the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Story upcoming on https://t.co/BIqlcKzPKK
Gostkowski won three Super Bowls with New England, and he earned four Pro Bowl selections after the Patriots drafted him in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
“Steve Gostkowski‘s one of the greatest kickers of all time. He’s been great for this franchise,” Belichick said in October.
That’s an enormous compliment from Belichick, who has always valued special teams more than most coaches in the NFL.
Jets Wire takes a look at five free-agent kickers Joe Douglas should avoid.
Kicking was a disaster for the Jets in 2019.
Between Chandler Catanzaro retiring out of the blue, Kaare Vedvik missing two kicks on opening day and Sam Ficken being hit or miss the rest of the way, the Jets failed to kick with consistency last season.
Ficken, who only made 70.4 percent of his field goals for the Jets, going 19-27 in addition to going 23-26 on extra-point attempts. In total, he missed 11 kicks and hindered the Jets more than he helped. Ficken, an exclusive rights free agent, will likely be let go, as the Jets signed former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher to a reserve/futures deal in December.
That said, the Jets still need to bring in kicking competition for Maher, whether it comes from free agency or the draft. However, there are some kickers the Jets should avoid at all costs. Let’s take a look.
Adam Vinatieri
(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
Father time has finally caught up to the greatest kicker the sport has ever seen.
In 2019, Adam Vinatieri hit just 68 percent of his field goals while costing Colts three different games. For a team that finished 7-9, that was the difference between missing the playoffs and potentially winning the AFC South Division title.
Vinatieri has played 24 seasons in the NFL, only playing for two teams in the process. Although the future Hall of Famer has spent the past 14 seasons in Indianapolis, he will hit the open market. There is no guarantee he will return to the Colts for a 15th season.
With Vinatieri’s best days clearly behind him, he shouldn’t be anywhere near the Jets’ radar. Vinatieri may still want to kick, ending his storied career on his own terms. If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be in New York.
Stephen Gostkowski should have competition in 2020.
It’s likely that the New England Patriots will give Stephen Gostkowski the same treatment that they gave punter Ryan Allen over the last two seasons. Bill Belichick may not give Gostkowski, 36, an easy path to the starting job in 2020. New England can and should bring competition to training camp.
Maybe that competition comes in the form of a veteran, like Nick Folk, who was at 82.4 percent last season for the Patriots. But his range issues (with an average of 34-yard field goals) proved problematic, and New England will likely want someone who gives them more options when the offense stalls outside the red zone. It’s more likely that the Patriots find a rookie, who can push Gostkowski, who is recovering from season-ending hip surgery.
The Patriots provided competition for former Patriots punter Ryan Allen in the last two training camp. Corey Bojorquez couldn’t beat out Allen in 2018. But maybe a rookie kicker can justify Gostkowski’s release — like punter Jake Bailey did against Allen in 2019. Cutting Gostkowski would relieve $3.5 million in cap space, but the Patriots have to be sure they’ve got a reliable asset with their next kicker. A rookie can meltdown — and fast.
What’s most likely is that the Patriots part ways with Folk, a pending free agent, and retain Gostkowski, who is signed through 2020. New England will do their best to scour the next two drafts to find a potential replacement, with increased urgency in 2021 when Gostkowski’s deal expires.
Maybe Gostkowski has a few major misses in big games, but he’s also the owner of three Super Bowl rings. He is one of the best kickers in the league. His value will hinge upon his recovery from the surgery, which is why competition would be wise. But there have been no indications that he’ll be anything but OK. New England would be happy to have him back another season, even if they add a young talent as an insurance plan.
The Jets Wire names the Jets 2010’s all-decade team with New York’s franchise-worst 10-year stretch ending with a 7-9 finish.
The Jets’ decade started with an AFC Championship appearance, but since then they’ve endured one of the worst stretches in franchise history.
New York has only had one season since in which it was over .500 and failed to return to the playoffs. The Jets have now gone nine consecutive seasons without a playoff berth and a record four straight losing seasons after faring 10-6 in 2015.
To finish off the decade, the Jets went 6-2 after a 1-7 finish, but they still have yet to play meaningful football beyond the first week of January. It seems Gang Green has its quarterback of the future, but does it have enough to start off the next decade with a playoff trip?
Decisions for the future are coming. For now, let’s take a look at the Jets’ 2010s all-decade team:
Offense
East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker (87) and New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) celebrate Marshall’s touchdown during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Patriots 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
QB Mark Sanchez: Sanchez was consistently average during his time in New York, but that’s enough to be the team’s best quarterback of the decade. He was the only one to lead Gang Green to the playoffs in this decade. During his time as New York’s signal-caller, Sanchez went 33-29, a much more impressive record than what Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh McCown. The hope is that Sam Darnold will do more to earn the nod 10 years from now.
RB Chris Ivory: Acquired via trade in one of John Idzik’s first moves as New York’s general manager, Ivory had a rather productive three-year tenure in green and white. He ran for over 800 yards in all three seasons, including going over 1,000 yards in 2015.
WR Brandon Marshall: Marshall spent just two seasons with New York, but his 2015 was enough to garner a mention on this list. Marshall set the team record for catches and yards and tied Don Maynard for touchdowns. In 2015, Marshall had 109 catches for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns.
WR Eric Decker: Paired with Marshall, the Jets had one of the most dynamic passing attacks in the league. He could never establish himself as a No. 1 target, but Decker put up those numbers opposite of Marshall. In 2015, Decker had 80 receptions for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns.
WR Santonio Holmes: While Holmes’ Jets career ended on a sour note, he is still largely responsible for helping New York reach its second AFC Championship Game in as many seasons. While his statistics don’t tell the whole story because of his four-game suspension to the begin the season, Holmes was as clutch as can be when it counted.
TE Dustin Keller: One of the more productive tight ends in the history of the franchise, the Jets have been unable to replicate Keller’s success since he departed New York. He finished his six-year tenure with the Jets catching 241 passes for 2,876 yards and 17 scores.
OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson: Ferguson was a staple on the Jets offensive line. He was the glue that kept the left side together and New York never had to worry about it quarterback’s blindside when he was on the field.
OG James Carpenter: Carpenter was the best the Jets had to offer at left guard during the decade. He was a reliable fixture brought in by Idzik and started every single game for New York from 2015-17.
C Nick Mangold: An All-Pro in 2010, Mangold would appear in five of his seven Pro Bowl appearances during the 2010s. The Jets are still itching to find a competent center as his replacement.
OG Brandon Moore: Moore is more famous for Mark Sanchez running into his behind, but he is the best the Jets had at right guard from 2010 on.
RT Damien Woody: While Woody has now spent more time as an ESPN personality than with Gang Green this decade, he provided the most stability at a position that has been a thorn in the Jets’ side.
Honorable Mentions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB Bilal Powell, RB Shonn Greene, WR Robby Anderson, OG Brian Winters, OT Kelvin Beachum.
With Sam Ficken missing 11 kicks in total for Gang Green this season, the Jets will get a head start in bringing in Brett Maher for 2020.
The Jets signed former Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher to a reserve/future deal on Tuesday.
The Cowboys released the often erratic Maher earlier in December after he missed 10 field-goal attempts during the season, the most for a kicker in the past four seasons. Maher went 20-30 on field-goal attempts, which was good enough for 66.7 percent. He did not miss an extra point in 36 attempts.
Despite the missed field goals, the Jets’ new kicker does have some impressive leg strength. He is the only kicker in NFL history with three makes of at least 60 yards for his career. One of those kicks came from 63-yards in the Jets’ 24-22 win over the Cowboys in Week 6 of this season.
Last season was much better for Maher, as he connected on 80.6 percent of his field-goal attempts and 97 percent of his extra-point attempts.
Originally Maher signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Nebraska in 2013. The Jets stuck with veteran kicker Nick Folk instead and subsequently waived Maher. Folk also had come over from the Cowboys before he was a reliable kicker for the Jets. New York is hoping it can fix Maher’s inconsistences, much like it did with Folk.
For 15 games this season, Sam Ficken was the Jets’ kicker, going 19-27 on field goal attempts and 23-26 on extra points. He assumed the starter role after Kaare Vedvik missed an extra point and field goal in the Jets’ 17-16 Week 1 loss to the Bills.
