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Thomas Morstead would like to run it back with the New York Jets in 2024.
The punter who is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason joined the “Boy Green Show” on Tuesday, December 12.
“I would love to be back,” Morstead confessed.
“I can say that I thought I’d be back on a few different teams in the past few years … but you just never know how things go. I’ve learned that over the past few years. Ageism is a real thing and it’s just part of life. It helps you be present and enjoy it as it comes to ya.
“We’re having a great time, we [his family] certainly made a commitment to ya know me being here. We moved the whole family up this year and we dropped the kids out of the school that they were at. We have had a really good setup down in New Orleans and we’re committed to being up here. If it works out for me to continue to be here, that would be really cool.”
Morstead Shuts Down Potential Retirement Rumors
Morstead is 37 years of age and he will turn 38 ahead of the 2024 season. Despite his advancing age, Morstead told me on my show that retirement isn’t even a thought in the midst of season No. 15.
“No, the old R word, retirement or moving onto something else, I don’t want to do anything more than I wanna do this job. At some point that won’t be possible anymore but that is not yet. I feel like I’m playing at a very very high level right now and I hate that age is even a thing in consideration because honestly, I don’t feel like how maybe people could perceive you at that age,” Morstead explained.
Typically NFL teams try to go cheap at positions by going with younger more inexperienced players. Morstead said he has struggled with ageism over the years with people assuming he is too old and has been accused of not having the same skills he used to over a decade ago.
However, the statistics tell a different story.
Morstead has punted the ball more than anyone else in the NFL this season (76), a special shoutout to the Jets’ offense for their contributions in those efforts. He also leads the league in total punting yards (3,737). Twenty-three of his punts have resulted in a fair catch which also is top marks in the NFL.
He has the No. 4 best average yards per punt in 2023 (49.2). The longtime NFL’er has had 28 of his punts end up inside the 20-yard line which is second best in the league.
Morstead appears to be aging like a fine wine.
Morstead Is Motivated to Get Back to the Pro Bowl With the Jets
He is in year No. 15 with the Jets, but surprisingly Morstead has only ever been to the Pro Bowl once back in 2012.
He told me that he has been, “the first alternate I think seven times.” This means he was the first call if the initially selected Pro Bowl punter opted against going.
While the Pro Bowl has become incredibly watered down over the years with a lack of competitiveness and multiple alternates, Morstead explained to me why it is different for specialists.
“Yeah I think for specialists [a Pro Bowl nomination] is uniquely special because it is kind of like making All-Pro for a normal position because there is only one guy that goes,” Morstead explained.
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