Jets send ominous message about Nick Folk’s future after recent workouts

The New York Jets have dealt with issues on both sides of the ball in 2025, but amid the team’s struggles, one unit has remained a steady source of confidence: the special teams.

It’s not hyperbole to say the Jets have had the best special teams unit in the NFL in 2025, and when the dust settles, they may hold a legitimate claim to having the best special teams season in league history. The numbers back it up, too.

Chief among their special teams standouts has been kicker Nick Folk. Folk returned to the Jets this summer after nearly a decade away from the team and has proceeded to put together arguably the best season of his 18-year NFL career.

Most probably assume the Jets will bring back Folk for another season, especially given his performance this year. However, the team sent a somewhat ominous signal by hosting a series of kicker workouts on Friday.

Jets might be looking for Nick Folk replacements

The Jets hosted four different kickers on workouts this week: Tanner Brown, Jonathan Kim, Gavin Stewart, and Maddux Trujillo. None of the four have ever played in an NFL game, but all except for Stewart have spent time with NFL teams.

The Jets also hosted a punter, Luke Elzinga, and a long snapper, Alex Ward, although it's likely both were brought in to assist with kicker workouts as the team needed an extra snapper and holder.

Folk signed a one-year, $2.875 million contract with the Jets in July, joining the team just before the preseason and quickly winning the starting job. The longtime NFL veteran is in the midst of one of the most impressive stretches by a kicker in league history.

Folk has missed just one kick this season, connecting on 25-of-26 field goals and all 21 of his extra-point attempts. His only miss came on a 55-yarder in Week 13 against the Atlanta Falcons, the same game in which he made a career-high 58-yard game-winner.

In fact, over the last three seasons, Folk has missed just three of his 78 field-goal attempts. He’s gone 75-of-78 since the start of the 2023 season, a staggering 96 percent success rate. It’s hard to imagine any kicker in NFL history matching that level of sustained dominance.

The Jets should — and almost certainly will — look to re-sign Folk this offseason, given his performance. Still, the decision to bring in younger kickers for workouts suggests the team is at least preparing contingency plans.

That may have less to do with Folk’s future in Florham Park and more to do with his uncertain NFL future altogether, as the 41-year-old could be contemplating retirement. Clearly, it's something the Jets believe could be a possibility.

Don’t be surprised if the Jets sign one of these kickers to a futures deal once the season ends in January. All eyes will remain on Folk as he weighs his NFL future in the coming weeks and months.