The real reason the NY Jets refuse to release Greg Zuerlein (probably)

The NY Jets have officially made a kicker change. Greg Zuerlein will not be the team's kicker on Thursday night against the Houston Texans after the team signed two players, Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader, to their practice squad on Wednesday.

One of Patterson or Shrader will be the Jets' kicker on Thursday Night Football, but rather than simply release Zuerlein and move forward with their new kickers, the Jets have devised a new plan.

Zuerlein was placed on the injured reserve on Wednesday after mysteriously popping up on the injury report with a knee injury this past Tuesday. He was notably not listed on the injury report on Monday.

Zuerlein will now miss a minimum of four games as the Jets continue to assess their kicker options. Now, we're not here to say the Jets are faking an injury or anything, but the timing of his sudden ailment makes it easy to connect the dots and read between the lines.

Why haven't the NY Jets cut Greg Zuerlein?

Most teams in this situation would simply cut ties with their struggling kicker. In fact, most would have probably done it after their kicker cost them multiple games this season.

Zuerlein has statistically been the NFL's worst kicker in 2024, connecting on just 9-of-15 field goals through eight weeks. He's made just one kick longer than 40 yards and missed his first extra point in Week 8.

So why aren't the Jets releasing Zuerlein? As always, the answer comes down to finances.

The Jets rewarded Zuerlein with a two-year extension that included $4.2 million in guarantees this past offseason following a franchise-best season in 2023. The contract made sense at the time given Zuerlein's brilliance the year prior. Unfortunately, it's already backfired.

If the Jets were to outright release Zuerlein prior to tomorrow's game, they would still be on the hook for roughly $3 million based on his remaining base salary and prorated bonus. It's likely Woody Johnson doesn't want to eat that money.

The Jets will give Zuerlein a few weeks to "get healthy" and bounce back, with the hope that he can return to his pre-2024 form. The dead money decreases to a little over $2 million in the offseason, so the Jets could always release him then if the situation doesn't improve.

This is purely a financial decision on the part of Woody Johnson. The Jets are making a kicker change without the finality of releasing their relatively expensive veteran.

Patterson and Shrader will continue to compete for the job over the coming weeks as the Jets move forward without Zuerlein for the time being. Don't be shocked if Zuerlein returns as the team's kicker later this season, however. This saga isn't over.

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