Jets waive Cade York in a close kicking competition, giving the job to Jason Sanders

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The New York Jets waived kicker Cade York, who was in a tightly contested competition with Jason Sanders, before the team's final practice of training camp on Tuesday.

York was signed in March as a potential replacement for Nick Folk, who joined Atlanta in free agency after tying for the NFL lead with a 96.6% field-goal rate. But Jets special teams coordinator Chris Banjo announced Sanders, a long-time standout for Miami, won the job.

"We are going to be moving on from Cade," Banjo said. “He did a great job for us all throughout training camp and all throughout the evaluation process and in the games as well. But we feel really, really good about what Jason is and where we are with him right now, the experience he's kind of had in our division, kicking in our division.

"So, looking forward to that opportunity for him.”

Sanders was claimed off waivers from the Giants in June, pitting him against York throughout training camp. The two were up and down throughout the summer, including Monday when Sanders missed three of his five field-goal attempts at practice and York missed two of his five.

Sanders was 2 for 2 on field goals and made both of his extra points in two preseason games, while York was 2 for 3 on field goals — missing wide right from 59 yards on the final play of the first half at Pittsburgh last Friday — and made his lone extra-point try.

The Jets, who also had Younghoe Koo and Will Ferrin during the offseason, decided on Sanders as their kicker heading into the final preseason game against the Giants on Friday night. It's possible New York could also scour the transactions wire after teams are required to make their final cuts on Sunday, but Banjo indicated Sanders will be the kicker moving forward.

“He has won the job,” Banjo said flatly.

The 25-year-old York was a fourth-round pick of Cleveland in 2022 out of LSU and has a powerful but inconsistent leg. He has bounced around since his rookie season with the Browns, spending time with Tennessee, the Giants, Cleveland again, Washington, Cincinnati and New Orleans before landing with the Jets.

For his career, York is 33 of 45 on field goals and 51 of 54 on extra points.

The 30-year-old Sanders was one of the league's most consistent kickers during an eight-year stint with Miami after being a seventh-round pick out of New Mexico in 2018. He was an All-Pro in 2020, when he tied Koo, then with Atlanta, and the Raiders' Daniel Carlson for the league's most points.

Sanders missed all of last season with a hip injury, though, and was waived by the Dolphins in March. The Giants gave him a look for their kicker competition in the offseason, but waived him in June. He's 187 of 221 on field goals — 84.6% for his career — and has made 259 of his 268 extra points.

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