The New York Jets still have in the neighborhood of $21 million in cap room even after free agency, but they are still looking to open up some more money heading into 2025.
Apparently, a former Pro Bowler could be their next victim.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini has reported that the Jets will probably be releasing kicker Greg Zuerlein after June 1, and he explained his reasoning.
“Now you’re thinking, why didn’t they just make him a June 1 cut already?” Cimini said on the Flight Desk podcast. “Well, you’re only allowed two of those designations before June 1, and they used it on Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Mosley. So now you literally have to wait until June 1 to make a guy a June 1 cut, and if they do that with [Allen] Lazard, they would save $11 million on this year’s cap as opposed to $6.6 [million], and then they would be able to spread it over two years. I think Greg Zuerlein, a kicker, is another June 1 possibility.”
Zuerlein only played in eight games this past season due to a knee injury. When he was on the field, he wasn’t very effective, going just 9-for-15 on field goals and missing an extra point.
New York signed fellow kicker Anders Carlson to a futures deal back in January. Carlson appeared in five contests in 2024 and was much more effective than Zuerlein, converting on eight of his 10 field-goal attempts, including nailing a 58-yarder.
Zuerlein was once one of the NFL’s best at his position, making the Pro Bowl and earning a First-Team All-Pro selection with the Los Angeles Rams back in 2017. He also booted a 61-yard field goal in 2015.
He was also very solid during his first couple of seasons with the Jets in 2022 and 2023, but now, Zuerlein is 37 years old and does not seem to be the same player anymore.
Perhaps all Zuerlein needs is a healthy 2025 campaign to get back on track, but evidently, he may not get a chance to do that in New York.
