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Former BYU placekicker Will Ferrin reacting in the middle of a college football game against UCF.
A change of plans.
Brian Costello of the New York Post revealed on social media that the New York Jets have waived rookie placekicker Will Ferrin. This was the corresponding roster move to the team signing veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick on Wednesday, May 13, Costello explained.
This is a mere six days after the Jets announced that they had signed Ferrin and 11 other undrafted free agents following the 2026 NFL draft.
Plot Twist for the Talented Rookie
After the Jets announced these roster signings, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic wrote a column revealing which of these players had the best chance of making the team.
In that article, Rosenblatt ranked Ferrin as the most likely of those rookies to make the 53-man roster.
“If Ferrin can find some of his 2024 magic, he has a real shot to win the job. That year, Ferrin made 24-of-27 field goals and 6-of-7 from 40 yards to 49 yards. He only made 23-of-30, and his biggest struggle was that range — he went 2-of-7 from 40 yards to 49 yards, though he did convert 8 of 11 from 50 yards over those two years combined,” Rosenblatt wrote.
Not only did he not win the starting job as the placekicker, but he didn’t even make it through the week on the roster.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini responded, “That was fast. Ferrin had an $18,750 gurantee, per Spotrac.”
In other words, the Jets lit that guaranteed money on fire by cutting Ferrin less than a week later.
“Wow, Will Ferrin already released. He did miss a couple FGs at the rookie camp practice we saw him kicking at — but I thought he’d at least get a shot to compete for the job. Now it’s down to Cade York and Lenny Krieg,” Rosenblatt stated.
What the Heck Happened?
This offseason, the Jets let Nick Folk walk in free agency. He was a proven player historically and had led the league in field goal conversion rate for three years in a row.
The team was wary about Folk’s age. Folk, 41, will turn 42 during the 2026 season. That left a massive void on the roster that the brass had to fill.
It is an obvious roster hole for the fans, the rest of the league, and undrafted free agents. Following the conclusion of April’s draft, Ferrin was recruited heavily by the Jets. It makes sense why he chose the green and white.
They offered him real guaranteed money and a clear path to potentially winning the starting job. However, something went amiss during the rookie minicamp last weekend that made the Jets do a complete 180.
Now the Jets are left with Cade York and Lenny Krieg.
York has appeared in 23 career NFL games. He has converted 33 of 45 attempts at this level (73.3% conversion rate). For context, that career mark would have ranked third-worst in the NFL this past season among placekickers, per ESPN.
Krieg, on the other hand, is a complete mystery. He spent time on the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad last year. Krieg is from Germany originaly being a part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
