Nick Folk done for year, Jets sign new kicker

Nick Folk's six season with the New York Jets has come to an end.

The New York Jets placed the kicker, who suffered a quadriceps injury during warmups Sunday, on injured reserve Tuesday. He still played in the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars--as the holder for punter Ryan Quigley, who went 4-for-4 on extra points.

Gang Green found Folk's permanent (for at least the season) replacement in Randy Bullock, a 2012 fifth round pick out of Texas A&M of the Houston Texans.

Bullock has converted 61 of 76 career field goal tries (80.3 percent) and 69 of 71 point-after attempts (97.2 percent). Both XP misses came this year in the first two games of the year. He also missed a field goal before being waived.

Last year, he made 30 of 35 field goals, going 4-for-5 from 50 yards or more.

Folk made 13 of 16 field goal tries this year, hitting and all 19 extra points.

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Jets move some money around with Nick Folk

The New York Jets freed up a little bit of salary cap room with a minor contract move.

According to ESPN.com's Field Yates, the Jets have converted $1.78 million of kicker Nick Folk's $2.5 million base salary into a signing bonus, creating $1,186,667 in cap space for 2015.

"They had to do something. They were right up against the cap," added Brian Costello of the NY Post. "This gives them some breathing room."

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Three points or less: Folk on importance of field goal

BY EDITOR

New York Jets kicker Nick Folk has been around long enough to understand the importance of a field goal.

“You look at the percentage of games that are won by three or less points, it’s quite a bit,” the eighth-year veteran said recently, via NewYorkJets.com. “And it might not be just on an end-of-game field goal.

"It could be a field goal you kicked in the first half of the game and then each team scores four touchdowns and you win by three points — that’s the score of the game. It is a very important thing.”

Nick Folk in good spirits upon new deal with Jets

BY NICK ST. DENIS

After winning half a dozen positional competitions in the past two seasons just to keep his job, New York Jets kicker Folk was more than happy to get a 400-percent raise earlier this offseason via the franchise tag.

"Any time that that could happen, it’s pretty exciting," Folk said this week, via NewYorkJets.com. "Most of the time when you get a Franchise Tag, things tend to work out and you get a long term deal."

Maybe not for all positions, but for a kicker, certainly.

Untagged: Folk signs multi-year deal with Jets

BY NICK ST. DENIS

New York Jets kicker Nick Folk was franchise-tagged at the end of last month, getting locked into a high-paying, one-year contract with the team, barring something significant happening in the near future.

That something significant happened Tuesday.

Within an hour of the start of free agency, Gang Green announced they signed Folk to a four-year deal worth $12 million, with just over $2 million guaranteed, according to CBS Sports' Joel Corry.

Bills have reference points for Carpenter negotiations

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Friday morning, the Buffalo Bills were still mulling two options with kicker Dan Carpenter -- negotiate a multi-year deal or slap the franchise tag on him.

By Friday afternoon, those options likely didn't change much; they just became a little more explicit.

Two fellow placekickers -- Graham Gano and division rival Nick Folk -- recently landed deals that have solidified their contracts for the 2014 season. Gano, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, negotiated a four-year, $12.4 million deal with Carolina, while the Jets tagged Folk for an estimated $3.4 million.

Folk gets raise of more than 400 percent under tag

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Most NFL players aren't fans of the franchise tag. Most players aren't kickers.

The New York Jets announced Friday that they've used their 2014 tag on kicker Nick Folk. Folk, coming off a stellar season and arguably the best of his career, was slated for free agency this March.

With the tag, Folk will make more than four times his 2013 salary -- a jump from $780,000 to around $3.4 million.

Folk: Eliminate PATs? What about the QB kneel?

BY NICK ST. DENIS

There's been a lot of talk of late about the possibility of doing away with the extra point, as critics have pointed to the fact that it's become too automatic.

The make-rate in the NFL was 99.6 percent last season and has been above 99 percent over past decade. You could probably go at least another two decades back and find similar numbers.

But to be fair, the quarterback kneel is pretty easy, too. New York Jets kicker Nick Folk wonders about that.

Nick Folk wants to stay, says Jets want same thing

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Nick Folk was pretty good this season.

Actually, he was really good. The veteran kicker went 33-of-36 on field goal attempts, making all three of his 50-plus boots.

But at the end of a Pro Bowl-like season, Folk didn't get named to the Pro Bowl, thanks to a stellar season for kickers. Twelve kickers with at least 25 attempts made at least 90 percent of their field goals in 2013.

Jets far from perfect, except for Nick Folk

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Nick Folk had to earn his job this year -- four times. From April through August, the New York Jets brought in four different kickers to compete with the incumbent Folk for the team's lone gig.

First, he had to fight off youngsters Derek Dimke and Brett Maher. When that wasn't good enough, they put him up against veteran Billy Cundiff, and Folk ousted him. Then it was fellow veteran Dan Carpenter.

Now, Folk is scoring six times as many points as anyone on his own team.

Folk off, Carpenter: Jets end kicker competition

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Well, no one can say Nick Folk didn't earn it.

Just days after signing Dan Carpenter to compete with Folk for the team's kicker job, the New York Jets released the former Miami Dolphins boot, according to Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. Carpenter was brought in to replace Billy Cundiff, who was brought in last month to replace Jeff Maher.

Folk beat them all, though we're not sure what it says about him when he keeps winning the positional battle and the team keeps bringing in someone else to try and oust him.

Folkin' A: Jets swap Cundiff for Carpenter

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

It took only two weeks for kicker Dan Carpenter to return to the AFC East. The hard part now will be earning a chance to stay for at least that much longer.

Carpenter's had a pretty interesting 13 or so days — cut by the Miami Dolphins, signed and cut by the Arizona Cardinals and, oh yea, throw the birth of his first child in the mix too.

His roller coaster ride continued Tuesday, as the New York Jets announced the acquisition of the veteran via Twitter.

Folk's camp foe now Cundiff instead of Maher

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

New York Jets kicker Nick Folk got a little breathing room Tuesday, though it didn't last long.

Touted as the frontrunner for the starting placekicker job over rookie Brett Maher, the incumbent Folk saw his competition disappear Tuesday when the team cut the former Husker.

The relief was short lived, however, as Gang Green brought in journeyman Billy Cundiff to battle Folk for the stating spot, according to the team's Twitter feed.

Unlike rest of East, Pats won't have camp kickoff

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

For those who missed it, the New England Patriots were the first of the four AFC East teams to cut its respective rookie kicker, releasing former Notre Dame standout David Ruffer late last week. (photo: Keith Allison, Flickr)

The move freed up a roster spot, but more importantly, it likely once again left veteran Stephen Gostkowski in a uncontested race for the starting job.

Now in his eighth NFL season, Gostkowski is getting paid accordingly — he's in the middle of a five-year deal signed back in 2010 worth north of $15 million. And while his make percentage wasn't jaw dropping in 2012 (82.9), his points made up for it, as he tallied the most in his career and nearly the most in franchise history with 153.

Jets add another kicker to challenge Folk for job

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New York Jets have a history of challenging their incumbent kickers and punters with competition in camp. Nick Folk is no exception.

A month after signing Derek Dimke to push Folk in re-earning his job, Gang Green added another boot in undrafted Nebraska product Brett Maher Sunday.

Maher's agent, Robert Roche, announced the news on Twitter. (photo: Marianne O'Leary, Flickr)

Jets slate another preseason kick-off, sign Dimke

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Former New York Jets special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff may be gone, but his competitive spirit lives on.

New York once again brought in some preseason competition for incumbent kicker Nick Folk Thursday, signing free agent Derek Dimke to a three-year deal, this according to Dimke’s agent Paul Sheehy via Twitter. (photo: fightingillini.com)

While the Jets just re-signed Folk to a one-year deal last month, it seems that the team’s new coordinator, former assistant Ben Kotwica, held on to at least one tradition followed back when Westhoff was running things, as we’ve mentioned before.

Get the Folk back here: Jets' kicker re-signs

BY NICK ST. DENIS

We're a little late to the party, but I couldn't pass up a shot at a pseudo swear-word headline.

Saturday, the New York Jets re-signed kicker Nick Folk, who spent his last three seasons with Gang Green before hitting free agency earlier this month. (photo: Marianne O'Leary, Flickr)

Folk wasn't spectacular in 2012, but he wasn't terrible. He recorded a 21-of-27 field goal make-rate, with his longest 3-pointer coming 54 yards out.

For Kicks: Comparing, contrasting AFC East kickers

BY NICK ST. DENIS

It's a slow news day. And since this is AFC East Daily and not SportsCenter, we won't try to create a story where there isn't one. We'll just pass the time.

So no news is good news -- for the kickers. The AFC East has a pretty good dynamic of boots, so it's only fair they get their annual 400(ish) words of fame.

Who better to start with than Buffalo Bills kicker Rian Lindell? He made 88 percent of his attempts last season, going 21-of-24 without missing from 30 yards in. Short story shorter, by the numbers, Lindell is a well-above average field goal kicker.  (photo: Alan Kotok, Flickr)

Folk wins Jets' kicker bout, Gang Green cuts Brown

Photo: Nick St. Denis 

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New York Jets brought in veteran kicker Josh Brown to compete with incumbent Nick Folk for the Jets' starting boot gig.

Challenge accepted, and completed.

Gang Green cut Brown Monday after an extremely competitive positional competition, opting to stay with Folk. The team clearly liked how he responded to the challenge of having Brown looming over him for his job.

Brown essentially broke the news via Twitter Monday morning.

"Best of luck to the 2012 Jets..." Brown tweeted. "Thanks for one of the most memorable camps in 10 yrs. GREAT GROUP OF GUYS!!"

Brown's fate was more or less decided Sunday night when he missed one of his two field goal attempts. Folk was 3-for-3 on the evening with a long of 46 yards.

Jets give kicker Folk a little competition in Brown

Photo: Nick St. Denis

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Kicker Nick Folk has been OK the last two years with the Jets. The Jets are letting him know that OK won't cut it.

New York signed kicker Josh Brown, formerly of the Rams, Tuesday to compete with Folk this offseason for Gang Green's starting boot position. Brown was cut last weekend after St. Louis drafted a kicker in the sixth round.

Last season, Folk was 11-for-12 on field-goal attempts under 40 yards and 8-for-13 on kicks 40 and over. He tallied 17 touchbacks on kickoffs.

Brown went 13-for-14 last season on kicks under 40 yards, tallying an 8-for-14 ratio on attempts from 40 yards and out. He added 15 kickoff touchbacks of his won.