Greg Zuerlein looking to break the NY Jets kicker curse in 2022

It’s no secret that one of the many struggles the NY Jets have had over the past few seasons is not being able to find a consistent kicker.

Since Jason Myers went to the Seattle Seahawks after his Pro Bowl season back in 2018, the Jets have used a whopping seven kickers. From Kaare Vedvik to Eddy Pineiro, they have not been able to find a long-term solution to their kicking problem.

In an attempt to combat this, Joe Douglas went out and signed a former Pro Bowl kicker this offseason: Greg Zuerlein. Can "Greg the Leg" be the answer the Jets have been looking for?

Can Greg Zuerlein solve the NY Jets' kicking woes?

Greg Zuerlein spent the past two seasons with the Cowboys but was the Rams' kicker from 2012 through 2019, where he had his best year in 2017. Zuerlein went 38-of-40 (95%) on field goal attempts and 44-of-46 (95.7%) on extra-point attempts.

Zuerlein has not been able to replicate his performance from that year, but he has consistently outperformed Jets kickers over the last three seasons.

Since 2019, Jets kickers rank last in extra point-percentage making only 66-of-78 (84.6%). They rank 31st in field goal percentage, connecting on only 61-of-83 attempts (73.6%). Long story short, the Jets need a reliable kicker.

In that same three-year stretch, Zuerlein made 117-of-126 (93%) extra point attempts, including his 2019 season when he was a perfect 42-of-42 (100%) on extra points.

Zuerlein would struggle with his field goal attempts over this time, making only 87-of-109 (79.5%). This was mostly because of his 2019 season when, although he was perfect on extra points, he was only 24-of-33 (72.7%) on his field goal attempts.

One reason for this regression could be that nobody has attempted more field goals than he has in that time period. Zuerlein attempted 109 field goals while Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson is the only other kicker with over 100 attempts since 2019.

Zuerlein also gives the Jets more leg strength than they have had in any kicker since the departure of Myers. Since 2019, Zuerlein has made 10 field goals of 50 yards or more, while the Jets have made only seven.

The Jets' longest field goal over that time was a 55-yarder by Sergio Castillo. Zuerlein has consistently beaten that with longs of 58, 59, and 56 in those three years.

Greg Zuerlein is probably the most talented kicker the Jets have had since 2019, but it remains to be seen if he is finally the answer the Jets have been looking for.