Jets secretly own the NFL’s top weapon nobody is talking about

New York Jets fans haven't had many aspects of their favorite team to celebrate through three weeks. Moral victories can only carry an 0-3 team so far, especially with another blowout home loss to a division rival sandwiched in between two near-wins.

The offense has been inconsistent. The defense has wholly underperformed. And the Jets still haven't found a way to finish close games, blowing two golden opportunities to secure their first victory of the season.

But hidden amongst a sea of losing and despair, the Jets have had one of the best special-teams units in the NFL, ranking fourth in total special-teams DVOA. Chris Banjo's unit has excelled in 2025, and the performance of one player, in particular, should have fans at least a little encouraged.

The Jets have quietly had the best punter in the NFL through three weeks. Austin McNamara is currently Pro Football Focus' No. 1-ranked punter in football entering Week 4.

Jets' Austin McNamara has quietly been the best punter in the NFL

McNamara's 82.0 PFF grade is PFF's highest mark among punters through the first three games of the 2025 season, one spot ahead of ex-Jets draft pick Braden Mann, now with the Philadelphia Eagles.

McNamara has punted 11 total times for 531 yards, with a net average of 44.5 yards per punt. The Jets' punt coverage unit has allowed just 3.5 yards per return on average, one of the lowest marks in the league.

On top of that, McNamara has downed four of his 11 punts inside the 20-yard line and allowed just six returns for 21 total yards. His 4.74 average seconds of hangtime ranks fourth among all NFL punters.

This likely isn't a fluke, either. McNamara put together a stellar summer for the Jets and was similarly PFF's highest-graded punter in the preseason. His 84.8 PFF preseason grade ranked first among all NFL punters, while his absurd 4.77 average seconds of hangtime was second-best.

The Jets may have stumbled upon arguably the NFL's best punter and a potential game-changing, field-flipping secret weapon.

McNamara originally signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent last year, but he was waived before final roster cuts in early August. The Jets signed him in March with the expectation that he would compete for their starting punter job.

The team moved on from veteran Thomas Morstead in the offseason, paving the way for a rookie punter to earn the job, and McNamara easily disposed of his competition, including current New Orleans Saints punter Kai Kroeger.

In fact, it didn't even take the Jets a full summer to make their decision, with the team releasing Kroeger before the first preseason game. Now, we're seeing why the Jets were so high on McNamara.

McNamara has been one of the lone bright spots for the Jets this season, and if the offense continues to struggle, they're certainly going to need him.

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