Nick Folk began Year 16 of his NFL career last Sunday when the Tennessee Titans faced the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.
Folk was acquired by the Titans for a 2025 seventh-round pick as the team hopes he can stabilize what was an issue during the preseason.
The ex-Arizona Wildcat has stayed in the NFL via his dependability and consistency inside of 50 yards.
Here’s what to know about the Titans new kicker:
Arizona to Dallas to the New York Jets
The Dallas Cowboys drafted Folk in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft after a solid career at the University of Arizona.
Folk earned his first (and to this point, only) Pro Bowl nod after a good rookie season (26-of-31 field goals made) that included a game-winning 53-yard field goal at the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
Folk was even better the next season, making 20-of-22 field goals including both attempts from more than 50 yards., but missed 10 attempts in 2009. He was released before the end of the 2009 season, then signed with the Jets the next year.
Over the next seven seasons, Folk was good enough (making 82.2% of his field goal tries) to entrench himself as the Jets kicker. He was second in scoring in Jets history and the most accurate kicker in team history (a minimum of 100 field goal attempts) at the time of his release in an effort to save salary cap room after the 2016 season.
Tampa Bay struggles
The lowest point of Folk’s career came in Tampa Bay in 2017, and specifically in a 19-14 loss to New England on Thursday Night Football in October of that season.
Folk replaced the struggling Roberto Aguayo to start the season but missed five field goals and two extra points in the first four games. Against the Patriots, Folk missed from 56, 49 and 31 yards in the five-point loss. He was placed on injured reserve shortly after the Patriots game, ending his season. The Bucs released Folk in the offseason.
Revival with the New England Patriots
Folk did not kick in the 2018 NFL season and kicked in the Alliance of American Football league in the spring of 2019.
He was not on any NFL team to start the 2019 season until October, when the Patriots signed him to replace the injured Stephen Gostkowski.
Folk kicked well enough (14-of-17 on field goals while making every extra point), even after missing a week with an appendectomy. The Patriots attempted to replace Folk with a younger option in Justin Rohrwasser, but re-signed Folk before the season.
Folk entrenched himself as the Patriots kicker over the next three seasons as a consistent and accurate kicker, making 89.3% of his field goal attempts and 91.3% of his extra point tries.
Off to good start with Tennessee Titans
Folk was 5-for-5 on field goals for the Titans in the Week 1 loss at the New Orleans Saints. While Tennessee would have preferred turning more of those FGs to points, Folk has already gained a trust with the Titans coaching staff as evidenced by a decision to attempt a field goal with 2:20 left and Tennessee down by four points.
“Find a way to get (the ball) inside the 40 and kick a field goal to win the game, that’s what I believed,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said after the game about the decision to kick down by four points.
Not the biggest leg at this stage of his career
Folk made a 50-yard field goal in Week 1, which may be toward the edge of his range at this point of his career.
The 38-year-old had a long made field goal attempt of 54 yards with the Patriots. His career long is 55 yards, made with the Jets in 2015. As accurate as he’s been from inside of 50 yards, don’t necessarily expect the Titans to try many 60-yarders in 2023.
Folk also had one touchback in six kickoffs against the Saints, which is in line with his recent history. Last season with New England, Folk had three touchbacks on 33 kickoffs. Folk was never the full-time kickoff player for the Patriots, kicking off 49 times in four seasons.
