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The New York Jets have what the kids call a first-world problem.
After years of struggles trying to find a placekicker, this offseason the green and white have two more than capable bodies in the room.
The green and white re-signed veteran Greg Zuerlein to a two-year deal for $8.4 million with $4.2 million of that guaranteed at signing this offseason. So he is here to stay, but the same can’t be said for Austin Seibert.
NFL teams only carry one kicker typically on the 53-man roster. Dennis Waszak Jr of the Associated Press said on social media that Seibert “could draw some interest from kicker-needy teams on cutdown day.”
Cutdown day is Tuesday, August 27. By 4 pm, every team in the NFL must reduce its rosters from 90 players to the final 53.
Jets Strongly Believe They Have Two NFL Caliber Kickers on the 90-Man Roster
“I’ll give you a name that no one is talking about and only we care because we’re crazy Jets fans, Austin Seibert,” ESPN radio host Jake Asman said on “NY Flight Jets Talk” on August 9. “If Austin Seibert gets cut and he will because Greg the Leg is signed and he is going to be this team’s kicker, someone is going to claim him.”
If and when the Jets cut Seibert he would be subject to waivers. Asman predicts he will get claimed which means he would be added to another team’s 53-man roster.
If a team is willing to do that, they’d likely be willing to trade for him to secure his services.
“I feel like we got a really good second kicker. I think Seibert is better than a lot of kickers that are employed in the NFL right now. Just wanted to give him some tape and give him an opportunity for other teams to see,” head coach Robert Saleh explained on August 10.
Through two preseason games, Seibert has had plenty of opportunities to prove his head coach right.
Seibert is 5-for-5 on his field goal attempts with one preseason game left to go. He has converted from 24, 37, 38, 45, and 52 yards out.
NFL Kicker Trades Are a Lot More Common Than You Think
You might be asking yourself, would NFL teams really make a trade for a kicker?
The answer to that question is a resounding yes.
Last offseason three kickers were traded in a span of 24 hours between August 28 and August 29.
The New Orleans Saints flipped Wil Lutz to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick. A familiar face to Jets fans, Nick Folk, was traded from the New England Patriots to the Tennessee Titans for a 2025 seventh-rounder. Lastly the Los Angeles Chargers shipped off Dustin Hopkins to the Cleveland Browns for the same compensation, a 2025 seventh rounder.
The compensation of a future seventh-round draft choice won’t create many headlines, but it’s about maximizing the value of your roster.
Gang Green already knew who their kicker was for months. Why else have Seibert on the roster throughout the offseason and training camp? The only logical reason is to eventually flip him to another team for a future draft asset.
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