Nobody will be able to replace the legendary Nick Folk, but this latest move by the Jets was an excellent pivot at the kicker position.
The New York Jets were about as abysmal as it gets last season. They finished with the second-worst record in the league and became the first team in NFL history to not record a single interception over the course of the season.
Those, among many other lowlights, actually should give the Jets faithful a bit of hope in some regard. Hope that the only way from here is up.
With the 2nd and 16th overall picks, along with 9 others in this year's draft, the Jets have the chance to really alter the chemistry of the team and overall culture. The other avenue they've been given to do that in is through free agency.
On day one, the New York Jets came away as one of the winners of the entire day in some folks' eyes. They landed legitimate starters across the board on defense with players like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Demario Davis, and Joseph Ossai.
They did, however, lose one crucial member of their team on the opening day of free agency, as veteran kicker Nick Folk left the Jets and signed with the Atlanta Falcons. The Jets wasted no time in finding a replacement today.
Jets Sign Kicker Cade York
Jan 4, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cincinnati Bengals place kicker Cade York (3) kicks a field goal from the hold of punter Ryan Rehkow (8) against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn ImagesThe New York Jets pivoted from losing Nick Folk by signing kicker Cade York from the Cincinnati Bengals to a one-year deal.
Nick Folk is a New York Jets legend. Of his extensive 18-year career in the NFL, 8 of those seasons have been spent with the Jets. Folk has a career average of 85% on field goals, with many of those seasons only yielding 1-3 total misses on 20+ field goals.
That consistency becomes relied upon and will be tough to replace. Enter Cade York.
When you look at York's NFL stats, it seems like he'll be a long shot to replace Folk. He's been on three teams in two seasons and wasn't necessarily good with any of them. Even last year, while he was employed with the Saints, he didn't actually play.
He boasts a career average on field goals of 73.3%, which is frankly abysmal for a starting kicker. To find out why the Jets took a swing at York, you have to go back before his NFL journey.
York was a 4th-round draft pick in 2022, which is incredibly high for a kicker, but it was slightly warranted. At LSU, York was elite. He boasted an 82% field goal rate, went 15-19 from 50+ yards.
York was so good at LSU that he broke the school record for longest field goal in school history at 55 yards and then broke his own record later that same game on a game-winning field goal with 57 yards.
It's certainly a long shot at this point to believe York will turn into the Jets long term solution at kicker, but the potential is absolutely there.
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