New York claimed Blake Grupe off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts, one day after the Colts released him following a lost preseason battle with Spencer Shrader.
The Jets also claimed linebacker Trevin Wallace off waivers from the Carolina Panthers in the same round of moves.
Fast Resolution
Grupe's arrival came right after incumbent Jason Sanders struggled through a shaky finish to the preseason.
Speaking to reporters, Glenn initially framed the addition carefully. "You always want to have competition, and we always try to get competition at the position," Glenn said, adding that the situation remained fluid and that Sanders was still on the roster for the moment.
Spencer Shrader wins the Colts kicking job.
— SleeperColts (@SleeperColts) August 30, 2026
Indy is releasing Blake Grupe after a close battle throughout camp, per @MikeGarafolo.
Agree or disagree with the decision? pic.twitter.com/p0mg18tpMq
That competition didn't stay open for long. By the end of Monday's practice, the Jets had released Sanders to make room for Grupe, retaining Sanders only on the practice squad as a fallback option.
Kicker With A Rough Finish In Indianapolis
Grupe, 27, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints out of Notre Dame in 2023, spending two and a half seasons there before Indianapolis picked him up last fall.
He closed out 2025 in strong fashion, converting all 11 of his field-goal attempts and all 10 extra points across five games for the Colts, including a career-long 60-yarder.
His preseason with Indianapolis was shakier, going 2-for-4 on field-goal attempts with misses from 36 and 61 yards, which was ultimately enough for the Colts to move on.
For his career, Grupe has converted 86 of 105 field-goal attempts, an 81.9 percent rate, adding 19 makes on 27 tries from 50-plus yards. With the Jets set to open the season on September 7, Grupe now heads into Week 1 as New York's kicker just days after his old team let him go.
