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Former Cincinnati Bengals placekicker Cade York reacting in the middle of an NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The New York Jets have found their replacement plan.
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz revealed on social media that the Jets have signed veteran placekicker Cade York to a one-year deal in free agency.
York, 25, won a National Championship with LSU in college.
Sources: The #Jets are signing K Cade York to a 1-year deal.
Veteran Nick Folk signed with the Falcons this week, so the Jets now add the former 4th-round pick with a chance to win the job.
On the first day of the legal tampering period, the Jets lost their starting kicker, Nick Folk, on a two-year deal to the Atlanta Falcons.
Massive Shoes to Fill
Folk, 41, was a straw that stirred the drink for the Jets on special teams last season. He signed with the team a few days into training camp last year.
For the third straight year, he ended up leading the NFL in field goal conversion rate:
2025: 96.6% (28-of-29)
2024: 95.5% (21-of-22)
2023: 96.7% (29-of-30)
At the end of the year, Folk sat down with his family and seriously pondered retirement. After stewing on that decision for weeks, Folk ultimately decided he wanted to play a 19th season in the NFL.
The Jets wanted to bring Folk back into the fold, but they allowed him to test the open market. He immediately found a new home with the Falcons. They are a dome team (kickers love that), and he got a multi-year deal.
An Interesting Resume…
So the Jets are going from the best placekicker in the league to a relative unknown.
York entered the league as the No. 124 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. Across his four seasons in the pros, York has suited up for six teams:
In 2024, he was even involved in the rare kicker trade, going from the Browns, during his second stint, to the Commanders. He only lasted two and a half weeks in Washington before he was ultimately released.
In all of those varying opportunities, York has converted 33-of-45 field goal attempts (73.3% conversion rate). He has converted 51-of-54 extra point attempts (94.4% conversion rate).
You Gotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith
There is no other way to put this: York’s resume is completely underwhelming. Especially when you compare it to Folk’s legendary career in the NFL.
However, it is worth noting that the Jets have one of the best special teams coordinators in the NFL. If you should blindly trust anyone to find a suitable replacement for Folk, it should be Chris Banjo.
Banjo, 36, played in the NFL for a decade. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of SMU. He had to grind his way into the league, and once he broke through, Banjo never looked back.
The last time he played in the league was with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. A year later, he immediately got into coaching. In 2023, he was hired by the Denver Broncos as an assistant special teams coach. After spending two years in that role, head coach Aaron Glenn hired Banjo to be his special teams coordinator in 2025.
It has been a rapid rise and was quite a gamble by AG. Banjo had little to no experience, but that risk paid off. Last season, the Jets finished with one of the best special teams units of all time.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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