In 2025, the New York Jets were an overall poor football team. However, there was one unit that was closest to perfection on the team, their special teams unit. One of the best decisions made by head coach Aaron Glenn was bringing in Chris Banjo as his Special Teams coordinator. While struggling to score points, the Jets special teams managed to get three total return touchdowns. All three came between two players, kick returner Kene Nwangwu(one) and punt returner Isaiah Williams(two). Along with them, kicker Nick Folk was close to perfection this year, providing the Jets special teams with 28 field goals.
However, there’s one factor that must be answered. Who will the team’s kicker be? In the offseason, steady-handed kicker Nick Folk is now with the Atlanta Falcons. Returning to the Jets for the first time since 2016, the 41-year-old veteran led the league in field goal percentage for the third season in a row. Now, the competition is underway to fill those shoes.
Jets Special Teams Success Comes Down To Kicker Competition
After his initial season as a head coach, Aaron Glenn is hoping for major improvement. Not only for the benefit of the team overall, but also to preserve his job. However, the team looks much better on paper. A revitalized defense filled with veteran presence that Glenn is familiar with. Along with the best pass rusher in college football, edge rusher David Bailey.
As for the offense, veteran Geno Smith returns to lead the offense as quarterback with two new young weapons in first-round picks Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. Hopefully, the team’s passing game can be adapted to match their top ten run game under new offensive coordinator Frank Reich. However, one group that Aaron Glenn hopes to retain the same level of success is the Jets special teams.
Jets Special Teams Unit Success in 2025
Special teams coordinator Chris Banjo has been regarded as a rising presence in league circles. After playing 10 years as a safety, Chris Banjo became a coaching assistant in 2023 with the Denver Broncos for head coach Sean Payton. Banjo served as an assistant special teams coach for Payton, for whom Banjo played for three seasons on the New Orleans Saints. After two seasons, Banjo left the Broncos with Darren Mougey in New York, after the latter was hired as the Jets general manager. In only three years into his coaching career, Banjo became New York’s special teams coordinator. Thus far, he has lived up to the hype.
Last season, the Jets’ special teams were arguably the team’s most efficient group. Veteran kicker Nick Folk missed only one field goal last year. Making 28-29 field goals, Folk had a field goal percentage of 96.6%. Along with Folk, the team had success in kickoff and punt returns for the Jets special teams as well.
In total, the Jets finished with three total return touchdowns. 2022 All-Pro kickoff returner Kene Nwangwu had 604 yards on 18 returns, including a 99-yard touchdown. In addition, wide receiver Isaiah Williams also turned into a hidden gem. He finished with 1460 all-purpose yards and two punt return touchdowns. Along with young punter Austin McNamara, the unit was very underrated. It made the Jets special teams a productive group. But a major question lingers.
Who Will Replace Nick Folk at Kicker?
It’s crucial to understand how important it was to the Jets overall that Folk came back. With a non-existent passing game last season, the Jets needed points anywhere they could get. However, Nick Folk is no longer here after signing with the Atlanta Falcons. Now, it’s a three-man competition to determine who will succeed Folk this year. So, who will round out the Jets special teams group? Thus far, the competition will come down to three players.
Starting with the most experienced of the competition is Cade York. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, York has been looking for a steady home thus far. After converting only 75% of all field goals in his rookie season, York was released by the Browns in 2023. Since then, York has jumped around from multiple teams, including the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and, most recently, the New Orleans Saints. Most recently, York improved on his rookie season during his short stint in Cincinnati in 2024, with a field goal percentage of 81%. He should be the projected front-runner.
Two Rookies Also In Competition
But, it wouldn’t be a competition if Cade York were the only kicker, now would it? Along with York, the team has two UDFA players competing for the kicker job. The first is 23-year-old German kicker Lenny Krieg, who signed a futures contract with the Jets back in January. Last February, the German kicker participated in the NFL Combine via the International Player Pathway program. Krieg impressed in his limited time with the Atlanta Falcons during training camp, but spent the season on their practice squad.
The biggest x-factor in the competition is Will Ferrin. The kicker played 49 combined games between Boise State and BYU. It’s hard to access Ferrin’s performance at BYU. While he regressed this season with a 76.7 FG%, he was better in 2024. That year, he made 24 out of 27 FG attempts for an effective 88.9%. But Ferrin’s bread and butter are on extra points, where he was an efficient 122 out of 123 attempts within the last three years. If Ferrin can build off that with a strong training camp, it’s not crazy to think he can contribute to the Jets special teams this season as their next kicker.
Main Photo: [Sam Greene/The Enquirer] – Imagn Images