Getty Matt Araiza seeks a new team after getting his name cleared.
The New England Patriots arguably wasted a draft pick and missed out on a talented free agent punter in Matt Araiza, who recently had his name further cleared after a civil lawsuit nixed his rookie season.
Sports Illustrated’s Patriots Country posed that question in the wake of Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel reporting that Araiza “wasn’t present during the alleged gang rape” in 2021. The Buffalo Bills previously released Araiza in August 2022 because of allegations of participation in “gang raping a 17-year-old girl” in 2021 according to the Los Angeles Times. Araiza hasn’t played in the NFL since.
New England, meanwhile, released punter Jake Bailey in March after subpar performance in 2022 with 42.1 yards per punt. Bailey signed with the Miami Dolphins after four years with the Patriots.
“There sat Araiza, who starred at San Diego State and was selected in the sixth round of the 2022 draft by the Bills. He wowed teammates during training camp and won the job over the summer, in part, with an 82-yard punt in a preseason game,” Patriots Country’s Richie Whitt wrote.
Bills’ punter Matt Araiza connected on this 82-yard punt:
Araiza was not charged with a crime, nor were two former SDSU teammates, Yahoo! Sports’ Callie Lawson-Freeman previously reported in December 2022. Araiza released a statement, via JL Sports agency, afterward about his plans to play in the NFL.
At SDSU, Araiza averaged a whopping 51.1 yards per punt in three seasons from 2019 to 2021. The Patriots drafted former Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer instead despite his career average of 46 yards per punt in four collegiate seasons.
“Bill Belichick has never shied away from signing players – Randy Moss, Antonio Brown, etc. — with checkered pasts,” Whitt wrote.
“Maybe Baringer will work out. He could be a Pro Bowl punter with a squeaky clean off-field image for years,” Whitt added. “But … should the Patriots have signed Araiza and saved themselves a draft pick?”
Patriots Received Failing Grade for Kicker Selection
New England also selected a kicker in this year’s draft — the first team in 23 years to take both a kicker and punter in the same draft.
The Patriots’ selection of former Maryland kicker Chad Ryland didn’t impress CBS Sports, which called it New England’s worst pick. Ryland made 97.3% of his extra points and 77.3% of his field goals in college — one with Maryland and four with Eastern Michigan.
“Accurate kicker but doesn’t have a big leg,” CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso wrote. “I get kickers can be drafted but trading up for a kicker in the fourth round?”
Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh defended the decision to select both a kicker and punter afterward. The Patriots already released Bailey, and kicker Nick Folk, 38, had his worst field goal percentage, 86.5%, in three years.
“So to be able to add two of the very top players at their positions in Chad and Bryce to the team, certainly was an opportunity that we didn’t want to pass up on,” Groh told reporters on April 29.
Nick Folk Faces Competition in 2023
Folk produced four solid seasons in New England, but Ryland could compete for his job in training camp.
Ryland won’t be a shoe-in to beat Folk for the job though. Folk went 4-5 on field goals from 50 yards or further away in 2022. He also went 32-35 on extra points, but he missed four field goals between 40-49 yards.
At Maryland, Ryland hit a long of 53 yards, but he missed four field goals overall in 2022. He also missed only one extra point all season last year and he went a perfect 47-47 the year before at Eastern Michigan.