The New York Jets won’t let the same mistake get them twice.
On Monday, November 18 ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed that the Jets have signed kicker Anders Carlson to the 53-man roster.
“So one week after getting burned, leaving Spencer Shrader on the PS (and losing him), the Jets take a proactive approach. Carlson kicked a career-long 58-yarder yesterday,” Cimini said.
Carlson was previously signed to the practice squad and was temporarily elevated for the Week 11 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. He went 2-for-2 on his field goal attempts and converted all three extra points.
To create a roster spot for Carlson, the Jets cut ties with defensive tackle Bruce Hector, per Dennis Waszak Jr of the Associated Press.
Jets Lock in Their Kicker, Prevent Another Poaching
Last week the Jets got cute. Instead of signing Shrader to the 53-man roster they elevated him from the practice squad for the Arizona Cardinals game and planned on doing it again this week.
However, the Kansas City Chiefs offered him the starting kicker job for the next month and they successfully lured him away from the Jets. If the Jets would have been smart, they wouldn’t have lost Shrader.
It seemed like they were setting themselves up for the same issues this time around. The Jets had Carlson on the practice squad, but they prevented a potential swiping by locking him in.
Now this move might fall on deaf ears with the team at 3-8. A team that has started 3-8 has never made the playoffs. Signing a kicker may seem like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but it ensures a kicker for this season and maybe the future.
Carlson, 26, first entered the NFL in 2023 as the No. 207 overall pick in the sixth round. He is young and has a massive leg.
He hasn’t missed a kick this year (7-for-7) and has booted multiple 50+ attempts. This year Carlson has converted a 50-yarder, a 55-yarder, and most recently with the Jets a 58-yarder.
Massive Roster Turnover Is Coming for the Jets
Carlson is the fourth different kicker the Jets have used this season. Gang Green is hoping the turnstile at kicker is over, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the roster.
According to Spotrac, the Jets have 21 pending free agents, both unrestricted and restricted, ahead of the 2025 offseason.
With a new regime coming in there are plenty of players under contract for the Jets who are also in danger of losing their gigs.
The Jets attempted to go all in during this Aaron Rodgers run and it seems like everyone is running out of time. If a new front office takes over as expected there are going to be plenty of changes on 1 Jets Drive this offseason.
Gang Green fans aren’t thrilled about the idea of another rebuild but the best chance at finally turning this thing around is building properly from the ground up. That all starts by hiring the right men to run the ship and according to NFL Insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Jets have already started to put feelers out.
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