The Jets added a low-profile punter recently, and they are removing their incumbent from a competition. The team is releasing veteran Thomas Morstead, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy.
As the Giants’ Lil’Jordan Humphrey cut showed recently, teams can make these moves involving vested veterans to rearrange their rosters during the offseason. Though, Dunleavy does not view this cut as procedural. Morstead spent the past two seasons as the Jets’ punter. The team has since announced the Morstead cut, along with the signing of Kai Kroeger.
Austin McNamara, a 2024 UDFA, signed with the Jets in March. With McNamara not playing in a regular-season game last year, that move did not generate much attention. But the Jets did make sweeping changes since re-signing Morstead in 2024, replacing the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh regime with the Darren Mougey–Aaron Glenn partnership. The new power brokers appear to be planning a competition between two far less experienced punters.
Not part of the Jets’ initial 15-man UDFA class, Kroeger joined the team Tuesday after a five-year career as South Carolina’s punter. Kroeger punted in 61 games for the Gamecocks from 2020-24; his best gross average came last season (47.8). McNamara served as Texas Tech’s punter from 2019-23, joining Kroeger in taking advantage of the COVID-19 year. McNamara averaged a career-best 48.2 yards per boot in 2021.
More to come.