Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Greg Zuerlein

Friday, January 3, 12:10 PM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that veteran kicker Matt Prater (knee) "will not go" in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Prater suffered a meniscus injury in his knee earlier this year and missed the last three months as a result. The 40-year-old kicker only ended up playing in four games in 2024 before injuring his knee in his fourth year with Arizona and 18th year in the NFL. In the four games he was active, Prater made all six of his field-goal attempts (one from 50-plus yards) and was successful on all 10 of his extra-point tries as well. Prater will be a free agent heading into his age-41 season in 2025. Chad Ryland will close out the year this weekend as Arizona's kicker. He's bounced back from a tough rookie season with the Pats to go 26-for-30 on field goals and 21-for-22 on extra points in his 12 games with the Cardinals.

Tuesday, December 31, 5:39 PM

The New York Jets announced on Tuesday that they placed kicker Greg Zuerlein (knee) and safety Chuck Clark (undisclosed) on Injured Reserve, so they will not be available to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The team also signed defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis and linebacker Jamin Davis to the active 53-man roster, signed offensive lineman David Sharpe to the practice squad, signed kicker Greg Joseph to the active roster and released kicker Anders Carlson. The Jets activated Zuerlein from IR last week, but he didn't attempt a kick in the Week 17 loss to the division-rival Buffalo Bills and apparently had a setback with his left knee. The 37-year-old veteran made only nine of his 15 field-goal opportunities and went 13-for-14 on extra points when healthy, so he'll likely be cut this offseason.