Jason Kelce joked that New York Giants' kicker Jude McAtamney would be 'flying home on Southwest' after a pair of extra point misses led to a loss against the Denver Broncos and his NFL release
00:10 ET, 22 Oct 2025
Jason Kelce reacts with a smirk before an NFL game
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Jason Kelce tweeted and deleted a joke about the NFL fate of New York Giants kicker Jude McAtamney
Jude McAtamney walked onto Empower Field at Mile High in Denver with a chance to help the New York Giants earn a win, but walked off in NFL humiliation — and he's now without a job. Even Jason Kelce couldn't resist a shot at the New York kicker before deleting his joke online.
The Giants released the second-year kicker after his untimely aim on numerous occasions in Sunday's 33-32 loss to the Broncos. He became the first NFL player in 40 years to miss two unblocked extra points in a one-point loss.
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His first mistake in the second quarter happened when New York led 13-0. The Giants were dominating, and Denver's offense seemed inactive, but in the fourth quarter, the Broncos scored 33 points, the most ever scored in a single quarter by a team that was shut out through three.
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When the Giants finally grabbed back the lead with 37 seconds left, McAtamney had one last kick to push it to a three-point margin. He hooked it wide right again, becoming the first kicker since 1985 to have missed two extra points in a one-point loss where neither was blocked.
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Denver needed only 37 seconds to get into range for Wil Lutz’s 39-yard game-winner as time expired, resulting in a final score of Broncos 33, Giants 32. Giants head coach Brian Daboll was vague about whether the team would move to a new kicker immediately following the game.
"Got to make the kicks," McAtamney said in the locker room after the game. "Not gonna shy away from that. I'll take full responsibility."
Giants star Bobby Okereke was quick to accept responsibility for the loss, sharing the blame with the entire team rather than focusing solely on the kicker. The NFL world piled on instantly, and among them was the retired Eagles center turned ESPN analyst.
Kelce tweeted, "Giants kicker is gonna have to fly home on Southwest."
The post lasted less than an hour before Kelce deleted it, but screenshots were already distributed across the internet.
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Fans online shockingly defended McAtamney instead of celebrating his exit.
One wrote, "Imagine blaming the kicker when your defense let up 33 points in a quarter."
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Another added, "He definitely contributed, but he didn't give up 33 points in the 4th quarter."
McAtamney's short time in New York resulted in nine successful extra points out of twelve attempts and two successful field goals out of two tries.
His longest field goal this season and in his NFL career was from 31 yards. McAtamney has not yet tried an NFL field goal longer than 40 yards.