It was the move that most fans of the New York Jets were furious over at the final announcement on cutdown day.
Head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey made the decision to release rookie undrafted free agent receiver Jamaal Pritchett in favor for three-year veteran Xavier Gipson.
In the eyes of fans, Pritchett was far more impressive during camp and preseason action. Instead, the Jets opted for the veteran returner who has struggled to make much more of an impact throughout his early years in the league.
For Glenn, the move came down to one key thing.
Jets explain punt returner decision
Speaking to reporters before Wednesday’s practice, Glenn detailed what the decision was like to release a player like Pritchett over a guy like Gipson.
“Pritchett did a really good job for us, but there’s more than just the preseason games that everybody sees,” Glenn said. “There is a ton of practice time that Gip (Xavier Gipson) has done that is an outstanding job. We counted most of his reps as far as the punt returner and I think he was 145 strong without dropping a punt, and actually catching it the way that I see that a punt returner should catch it.”
Gipson has struggled with catching punts in the regular season. He has five muffed punts in his career, including an NFL-high three in 2024. Overall, Gipson has nine career fumbles in 34 games.
The good news for Jets fans is that Pritchett is not completely gone.
The Southern Alabama product cleared waivers on Wednesday and was signed to the practice squad. If the organization is not impressed with Gipson at any point, they could simply release him in favor of the UDFA.
That alone should soften the blow for some disgruntled fans who saw the preseason slate as a barometer for where certain players were in their race to make the final roster. Gipson had been recovering from an injury suffered early in camp, so it was relatively easy for Jets fans to talk themselves into Pritchett overtaking him at punt-returner.
Turns out, preseason isn’t the only barometer coaches look at to make roster decisions.
For Gipson, his stay with the team means he will need to try to convince a fanbase that wanted him gone that he can be a productive member of the organization on the field. Despite being one of just five wide receivers currently on the roster, though, the only way he can do that is as the punt returner.
Only time will tell if New York made the right decision or not to cut Pritchett in favor of Gipson. At the very least, if their call is proven wrong, they can simply call the UDFA back up to make it right.
No harm, no foul.
Reporting from the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, NJ.