The Giants back in March signed veteran kicker Jason Sanders to a one-year contract worth $1.425 million, with $300,000 in guaranteed money.
As it turns out, that deal did not guarantee Sanders anything, as he was released on Tuesday.
Making a move was necessary for the Giants to create room on the roster for JuJu Smith-Schuster, one of three wide receivers – most notably Odell Beckham Jr. – signed a day earlier.
That the Giants parted ways with a kicker was not surprising, given that they were carrying three of them. Sanders as the odd-man out was not expected, though.
Sanders, 30, was the only proven kicker among the three, having hit 84.6 percent of his field goals in his seven years kicking for the Dolphins.
Sanders spent the 2025 season on injured reserve with a hip issue. He seemed to be the favorite for the job with the Giants but it was clear this was going to be a competition and he would have to earn his spot.
That did not happen as the Giants went through their offseason program and took the field for their organized team activity practices. Clearly, Sanders did not make a positive impression with his kicking.
For now, the Giants have two youngsters as their kickers. Ben Sauls, undrafted last year out of Pittsburgh, went 8 for 8 on his field goal attempts for the Giants down the stretch of the 2025 season. The 24-year old is a left-footed kicker.
Following the 2026 NFL Draft, the Giants signed rookie Dominic Zvada, a highly-regarded 22-year old kicker who won a national championship at Michigan. Zvada in 2024 hit a 21-yard field goal in the final minute to help the Wolverines beat arch-rival Ohio State and he went 7 for 7 that season on field goal attempts of 50 or more yards.
Sauls and Zvada move on this spring and into the summer as part of a kicking derby. There is always the chance the Giants sign a veteran kicker, depending on how the youngsters at the position handle their work on the field.