Jets are officially stuck with Jason Sanders as Rams poach Blake Grupe

The New York Jets started the 2026 season with two kickers, having both Jason Sanders and Blake Grupe as options heading into Week 1. A month later, they're down to just one, as Grupe is off to the West Coast to try to help save a poor kicking game.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday afternoon that the Los Angeles Rams are moving on from Harrison Mevis, who went 0-for-2 on field goal attempts in their Monday Night Football shootout against the Buffalo Bills. To replace him, they signed Grupe off the Jets' practice squad.

Ironically enough, Mevis himself is a former Jets kicker. He competed with Nick Folk during the 2025 offseason and eventually went on to lose the battle to Folk, the elder statesman. Mevis signed with the Rams in the middle of last season and held the job until Tuesday.

New York now has no other kicking options on the roster other than Sanders, and while he's mostly been solid through the first five games of the 2026 season, Jets fans likely still can't help but hold their breath whenever he trots out onto the field.

Los Angeles Rams playing ex-New York Jets kicker musical chairs

Grupe never did end up kicking for the Jets, but he served as decent insurance behind Sanders in case he fell apart in the regular season.

After a pretty awful preseason, New York cut Sanders and claimed Grupe off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts on roster cutdown day. Sanders was quickly brought back to the practice squad and ended up being the Jets' Week 1 kicker.

The former Miami Dolphins All-Pro has been a solid kicker through the first five games of the 2026 season. He's made 8-of-9 field goal attempts, with his only miss coming on a bad shank in Week 1. Sanders has made 7-of-8 extra-point attempts, with the lone miss happening when the game was essentially over against the Chicago Bears.

Should the New York Jets reunite with Harrison Mevis?

With Grupe off to Los Angeles, the Jets now have an extra practice squad spot available, and it seems like they would like to have some sort of insurance policy behind Sanders. Should they bring back Mevis to Florham Park?

He wouldn't be a terrible addition. 2026 hasn't been pretty, but he finished the 2025 season strong, converting 12-of-13 field goal attempts including a long of 52.

Mevis isn't the perfect kicker, but if the Jets are still feeling a little shaky on Sanders, he's not the worst they could do as a backup plan.

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