Patriots Agree To Sign Veteran Kicker To Compete With Chad Ryland

The New England Patriots selected a group of great players in the 2024 NFL Draft. They also got talented players off the free agent market. According to newest reports, the Patriots aren’t done making changes. Mike Reiss from ESPN reported that the Patriots decided to sign veteran kicker Joey Slye.

The Jacksonville Jaguars released Slye on Tuesday and the Patriots didn’t waste any time. Head coach Jerod Mayo will have a busy summer. Slye will challenge sophomore Chad Ryland for the starting job in the 2024 NFL season.

Reiss was the first to report the signing and the Boston Herald confirmed it. MassLive and Boston Globe confirmed Slye’s arrival in New England.

Patriots sign experienced kicker

Slye will enter his sixth season in the NFL. New England will be his fifth stop. It may be too much, but he may be just a player who tries to find his home in the league. He spent the last two seasons with the Washington Commanders. Slye also played with the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, and San Francisco 49ers. The 28-year-old was able to convert 82.3% of his field goal attempts and 88.5% of his extra points. Slye is 7-for-11 from 50-plus yards in 2022 and 2023.  

The Patriots selected Ryland in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. His rookie season didn’t go really well. Ryland made 64% of his field goals and Mayo will definitely look for bigger numbers. The sophomore kicker converted just 50% of his attempts beyond 40-yards.

New England enters an important phase and now it’s up to Mayo to make things work. The new-look Patriots team will take a different approach all while respecting Bill Belichick’s legacy. Mayo will combine veterans and young talents in his new game plan. He has big shoes to fill in, but he is not really bothered with this. Coaching the 2024 NFL squad may be one of the biggest challenges he has ever accepted so let’s see how this goes.