In a difficult year for the Jets, special teams has been one of the few standout areas. The Jets have had arguably the league’s best special teams. It has been directly responsible for two of the team’s three wins in 2025.
Punter Austin McNamara is getting recognition as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month.
It is worth remembering that while we think of punters as individual players, the punt coverage team is a unit. It works as well as its weakest link.
It might be fun to watch a punter unleash long kicks, but if he outkicks his coverage, it can be a big problem. McNamara doesn’t do that. While his season average of 46.9 yards per punt is actually a tad below the league average, McNamara has the seventh best average net yards per punt at 43.6. He is working well in tandem with his coverage guys.
McNamara’s best game of the month came in the Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons when he averaged a net of 49.5 yards per punt. This included a clutch 55 yard kick that resulted in a one yard return late in the fourth quarter in a tie game with the Jets backed up.
Congratulations to a top notch punter for gaining recognition.