One of the younger players on the roster, punter Austin McNamara, 24; and the oldest, kicker Nick Folk, 41, provided the legs to the Jets' elite special teams that were rated No. 4 in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.
Folk, an 18-year veteran, converted all but one field-goal attempt while first-year player McNamara (who also doubled as the holder for Folk) had 32 punts downed inside the 20-yard line, the second-most in the league.
McNamara: 'It's Been Awesome'
Austin McNamara, the Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Year in 2023 at Texas Tech, went undrafted in 2024. He signed as an UDFA with Cincinnati, but was waived during training camp. He signed on with the G&W last March.
"Extremely grateful for this year, not being on a team last year," he told team reporter Caroline Hendershot. "Now getting this opportunity here, it's been awesome. It's been a great experience. Guys in the locker room, coaches, everyone here has been amazing. And just really looking forward to next year."
A case could be made for McNamara turning in one of the best seasons by a punter in team history. He finished with a 45.7-yard average on his punts (his 43.2 net was sixth in the league). In addition to his 32 boots that landed inside the 20-yard line, Statspass.com put his average hangtime at 4.76 seconds, which was second in the NFL.
"Our goal was to impact the game in a positive way," he said, referring to STC Chris Banjo and the men in the special teams room. "I know we said that a lot, and I was grateful that we're able to do that this year. Grateful to be here. I trained really hard last year hoping to get a shot, and I did. Really excited for the opportunity."
He name-checked several teammates, Isaiah Williams and rookie Arian Smith among them, who helped make the unit extra special in the 2025 season.
"Isaiah [Williams] comes to mind for sure, especially with the kind of start he got off to, but then we all knew that he was going to bounce back and rebound, which he did [with 2 punt returns for TDs] and was team MVP, which is awesome for him, and super excited for him," McNamara said.
He added: "Some of our young guys, some are old guys, we all kind of deal together this year, and credit to Banjo and [ST assistant Kevin] O'Dea and AG [HC Aaron Glenn] for believing in us and giving us that confidence to go out and fight in the game every week."
Folk: 'Have Faith in the Process'
The joke around the Jets' locker room early in the season was that when the wise old kicker Nick Folk talks, make sure you're listening. Now, after completing a near-perfect season in which he hit on 96.6% of his field-goal attempts (No. 1 in the league) and all 20 extra points, Folk offered a simple message.
"Learn from it," he said. "There's always a learning experience from anything good and bad. So I think that's the biggest thing. Learn from it. Move on. Find a routine. I'm huge on routine. That's just me personally. So find a routine for the offseason. Find a routine getting into training camp and then for next year. And, have faith in the process, because I think they have a process here. They have a goal, and they've got it ready to roll."
Over the past three seasons, one with the Jets and two with Tennessee, Folk converted 78-of-81 FG attempts, making him the most accurate placekicker in the NFL over that time span. If he chooses to carry on in a 19th season and converts on a FG attempt from inside the 40, he'll extend his record streak to 100 straight.
And the veteran praised rookie STC Chris Banjo who oversaw one of the top units in the league.
"He's done a great job, and he knows what it takes," Folk said. "He played it. He did it for a long time. He took it very seriously as a player. So he takes it very seriously as a coach. He understands the techniques, the assignments, the X's and O's of it. So he did a great job. And looking forward to seeing his growth going into Year 2."
