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NFL

The idea of drafting punters and, more significantly, kickers is usually bad. Teams don’t have a great track record scouting the good ones, and it’s as likely to find solid players as undrafted free agents.

Frequently, teams invest in younger pieces trying to find a long-term solution and end up with a short-term problem without the upside of an elite player at a premium position, for example. That’s why free agency is always a viable avenue to find specialists.

This is the twelfth and final installment of our series to find the best free agents per position in 2025. And well, the list got thinner right before free agency because the best kicker, Brandon McManus, re-signed with the Green Bay Packers.

K Eddy Piñeiro, Carolina Panthers

Just like most kickers, Piñeiro also took some time to develop into a viable kicker and had a rough time for the Chicago Bears early in his career. But after moving around, he established himself as a solid player over his last three years with the Panthers. Throughout the 2024 season, he even became the NFL’s all-time field goal percentage leader during a two-week stretch. He’s 29, so there’s a lot left in the tank.

K Nick Folk, Tennessee Titans

The fact that a 40-year-old player is one of the best free agents is certainly not a great start, but kicker is a weird position. Folk has been a professional since 2007, but the period included a season in the AAF for the Arizona Hotshots in 2019. He returned to the NFL and has been much better since, including two excellent seasons for the Titans over the last two years.

K Joey Slye, New England Patriots

Slye is another example of a kicker who bounced around. Since 2019, he’s been with the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots. On the Patriots, he beat out former fourth-round pick Chad Ryland and had a solid year, putting him in position to keep a starting job.

P JK Scott, Los Angeles Chargers

A former fifth-round pick, Scott had a tough time punting in the cold during his time with the Packers. However, he rebuilt his value for the Chargers and was one of the top punters in the league lately. He’s still 29, so there’s long-term upside, especially if you’re a dome team.

P Riley Dixon, Denver Broncos

Dixon has a lot of experience, as he made the All-Rookie Team in 2016. He started his career on the Denver Broncos and returned to the team over the last two years, but also played for the New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.

Other options:

K Austin Seibert, Zane Gonzalez, Michael Badgley
P Tress Way, Bryan Anger, Johnny Hekker
LS Morgan Cox, Casey Kreiter, Rick Lovato