Getty Ex-New York Jets kicker Sergio Castillo likely missing a field goal after a disappointing stint.
Kickers are something that is too often taken for granted in the NFL. Seemingly everyone can make a kick from any distance and the bar has been set so incredibly high in 2021.
For New York Jets fans, more times than not during the last 15 years it has been a series of rough patches one after the other.
There have been pops of success with guys like Nick Folk and Jason Myers, but they have been far and few between.
Gang Green believes they found a hidden gem this summer that could finally be the long-term answer to their prayers.
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Have They Finally Found the Chosen One?
The Jets started the summer with a pair of kickers:
- Sam Ficken (incumbent starter from 2020)
- Chris Naggar (undrafted free agent addition)
Neither lasted long and for good reason, both players were underwhelming during their time with the green and white during training camp.
On July 31 the Jets took another swing of the bat on rookie placekicker Matt Ammendola out of Oklahoma State.
The 24-year old special teamer had made waves on social media with his viral videos showing off his incredible leg strength.
On top of the power, Ammendola during his run in the preseason with the Jets also showed off his amazing accuracy.
If the team has found the answer at kicker, it seems like this won’t be a band-aid fix. At just 24 years of age, the green and white may have found the treasure chest at the end of the rainbow after all these long painful years.
Never Satisfied
While there is a lot of optimism inside the building that the kicker situation is resolved at a minimum for the present, this front office is never satisfied.
This week the Jets worked out Sergio Castillo, per the NFL’s transaction wire on Thursday, September 9.
The name should sound very familiar to Jets fans because the 30-year old kicker spent time with the organization back in 2020.
After Ficken got hurt, the Jets were between a rock and a hard place, so they took a chance on the journeyman.
He had some nice moments, but fans were probably going to be impressed with anyone not named Ficken.
Although things ended horribly and tragically. Castillo was cut after a disaster of a performance in which he missed three of his four field-goal attempts vs the Seattle Seahawks.
With that in mind, it is somewhat befuddling that the Jets would consider circling the wagons after his last stint.
Although if you look beyond the recency bias and pay attention to his track record, you can start to understand the Jets’ apparent interest.
He has played for two different NFL franchises (Atlanta Falcons and the aforementioned Jets), but is most known for his incredible run in the Canadian Football League:
- Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Ottawa Redblacks
- Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- BC Lions
On top of that, he also participated in the XFL (Houston Roughnecks) and the AAF (San Antonio Commanders).
This is likely another emergency list situation here for the Jets just in case they need some help, but even still, it seems like there are a lot of better options available on the open market.
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