The New York Jets have finally settled on their kicker after the first three games of the 2026 season, signing Jason Sanders to the 53-man roster and waiving Blake Grupe on Tuesday.
The decision follows a promising three-game stretch from Sanders, who had been elevated from the practice squad for each of New York's the first three games. He leads the Jets with 20 points and has converted 5 of 6 field-goal attempts.
In the season opener against the Tennessee Titans, Sanders made field goals from 52, 51 and 33 yards, although he also had one miss. He followed that with a 32-yard field goal versus the Green Bay Packers and a 42-yarder against the Detroit Lions last week.
Sanders also made all of his extra-point attempts during Weeks 2 and 3. Overall, he went 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points across those two games.
The 30-year-old had entered the season after an unsettled offseason competition. New York released Cade York after two preseason games, leaving Sanders as the primary alternative before the Jets ultimately released him during final roster cuts and claimed Grupe. Sanders returned to the team and handled the kicking duties in Week 1.
Meanwhile, Grupe, who was claimed off waivers on Aug. 31 after spending the summer with the Indianapolis Colts, never got an opportunity to kick for New York. He converted all 11 of his field-goal attempts during his five-game 2025 stint with Indianapolis, including a 60-yard kick against Seattle. Across 50 career games with the New Orleans Saints and Colts, he made 81.9% of his field-goal attempts.
The Jets also waived cornerback Jordan Clark, who played two games this season and recorded 17 special-teams snaps. New York added offensive linemen Nick Dawkins and Jimmy Morrissey to its practice squad.
Dawkins started 28 games during his final two seasons at Penn State, while Morrissey has appeared in 15 NFL games and logged 318 career offensive snaps.