Not only are the New England Patriots in the market for a new quarterback this offseason, they’ll also be searching for a placekicker for the first time since 2006.
With the Patriots releasing 14-year veteran Stephen Gostkowski Monday, the team will be looking to move forward with a new kicker for the 2020 season. This comes after the team resorted to signing free agents off the street when Gostkowski landed on injured reserve early in the 2020 season.
So, who could the Patriots pursue to replaced the fifth-most accurate kicker in NFL history and the franchise’s all-time leader in points? Here are some options, ranging from potential draft picks to longtime NFL veterans.
1. Rodrigo Blankenship (Draft Prospect)
When the Patriots moved on from Adam Vinatieri following the 2005 season, they picked up Gostkowski as a highly rated kicker in the draft. If they go that same route, Blankenship is a possible target.
Blankenship is generally considered the best kicker in the 2020 draft class. The Georgia product has four years of experience kicking in college, is accurate and is the rare sort of college kicker who was consistent from 50-plus yards. In 2018, Blankenship was 2-for-2 from beyond 50 yards.
He finished the 2019 season hitting 82 percent of his field goals – 27 for 33.
2. Nick Folk (Free Agent)
You may recognize Folk as the most recent player to kick a field goal for the Patriots. Folk is 35 years old, a little younger than Gostkowski and has limited range. Still, he has experience in New England and is consistent from short range. If the Patriots want to play it safe with a conservative option, Folk could be it.
3. Adam Vinatieri (Free Agent)
Vinatieri is out in Indianapolis after struggling with injuries and accuracy before getting shut down in 2019 (similar to Gostkowski). There were rumblings that Vinatieri could retire. However, he’s still considered a free agent for 2020.
Vinatieri is 47 years old at this point and would be the NFL’s oldest player by far if signed. He’s not the same kicker in terms of leg at this point. However, a possible New England reunion would be fascinating to watch.
4. Taylor Russolino (XFL Free Agent)
Now we’re getting into the out-of-the-box options. Russolino raised some eyebrows for the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks after making multiple field goals from over 50 yards out, including a 58-yard game-winner this year. He was 9 of 10 on field goals before the XFL season was suspended.
The 30-year-old kicker has had a long football journey, going from a Division III school to the Continental Indoor Football League and the China Arena Football League – where he kicked for the Shanghai Skywalkers.
5. Tyler Bass (Draft Prospect)
Bass is another of the top kicker prospects in this draft. The Georgia Southern product has a big leg for kickoffs, but doesn’t have a lot of experience on long-range field goals. Bass was red hot in 2018, hitting 90.5 percent of his kicks before regressing to 71.4 percent in 2019.
6. Josh Gable (Free Agent)
The Patriots brought in Gable as a practice squad player briefly last season, getting an extended look at the young, raw talent. Gable made waves online as a trick-shot kicker whose video remain popular on YouTube. Gable didn’t play football in college. Instead, he played soccer in Europe before getting some experience in the Indoor Football League.
7. Dominik Eberle (Draft Prospect)
The former Utah State kicker was money in 2019, hitting 87.5 percent of his field goals. He was perfect from within 40 yards. He has limited experience from long range, going 4 of 7 from 50-plus yards in his career.
8. Ryan Succop (Free Agent)
A former Mr. Irrelevant (last pick of the draft), Succop has a long resume. But like Gostkowski last year, he struggled out of the gate before landing on injured reserve.
The 33-year-old made 86.7 percent of his field goal in 2018, but struggled mightily to start 2019, where he went just 1-of-6.
9. Greg Zuerlein (Free Agent)
The longtime Rams kicker known as “Greg The Leg” has run hot and cold over his career. He was an All-Pro in 2017, hitting 95% of his kicks. In 2019, he hit just 72.7 percent. Which version will teams get from the 32-year-old in 2020? We’ll have to wait and see.
10. Jet Toner (Draft Prospect)
The Patriots already had success with one former Stanford kicker in Jake Bailey. Could Toner join him? Previously, it would have been a slam dunk. Toner was one of the top kickers in the country – before suffering a season-ending lower-body injury.
Toner now heads into the draft with his pre-draft workouts and health status as a big factor in his NFL future. Keep an eye on him.
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