Eddy Pineiro contract may have just raised price on Jets-Nick Folk reunion

Return specialist Isaiah Williams was the New York Jets' 2025 Curtis Martin Team MVP, but you could argue there was another special teamer who deserved the award as well.

Kicker Nick Folk was the Jets' best offensive player last season, scoring 106 points over 17 games for New York in his second stint with the team. An impending free agent, Folk figures to find himself a decent payday on the open market.

The San Francisco 49ers inked their kicker, former Jet Eddy Pineiro, to a new contract on Saturday night: a four-year, $17 million pact for the 30-year old, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Both Pineiro and Folk had identical stats in 2025, making 28 of 29 field goal attempts on the season. Could the 49ers' deal for their kicker foretell what Folk has in store for his market?

Jets will have to open up the checkbook for Nick Folk

Having an elite kicker is invaluable in the NFL, and Folk certainly played like one last season, missing only one field goal attempt and making all of 22 extra point attempts. He even showed he's improved his power over the years, drilling a career-high 58-yard field goal in a losing effort against the Miami Dolphins.

FanSided's Kick Value Added (KVA) statistic had Folk as the third-best kicker in the NFL in 2025. He's one of the top free agents at his position entering the offseason, and will absolutely be paid like it. Despite entering his 19th season in the league, Folk has made it clear he intends to continue his career.

Pineiro, at age 30, got four years on his contract that pays him roughly $4.25 million on a per-year basis. Folk is 41 and will turn 42 halfway through the 2026 season. A multi-year deal isn't likely, but his salary will be higher or at least match Pineiro's.

The top kickers in the NFL make $5 million per year or higher, with Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker holding the honor as the highest paid, making $6.4 million annually.

Folk won't likely crack that marker, but the $5 million range makes sense on a one-year deal for the veteran kicker. With all of the Jets' cap space, they should certainly look to bring back one of the best players they had on the team last year.

It's a lot better than playing kicker musical chairs.