NY Giants setting up kicker competition following the release of Graham Gano

The Graham Gano era in New York has officially come to an end. This week, the Giants formally released the veteran kicker with a failed physical designation, a move that felt inevitable after Gano spent much of the last three seasons battling a gauntlet of knee, hamstring, groin, and neck injuries.

While Gano was a nearly automatic weapon for Big Blue from 2020 to 2022—ranking second in franchise history with a 96.9% accuracy rate in 2020—the 39-year-old simply couldn’t stay on the field in 2025.

By moving on, the Giants clear roughly $4.5 million in cap space, and will now pivot toward a summer battle between a decorated veteran looking for a career resurgence and a young specialist who hasn’t missed a kick in a Giants uniform.

The All-Pro Challenger: Jason Sanders

The front-runner for the job is Jason Sanders, a former First-Team All-Pro who signed a one-year, $1.425 million “prove-it” deal earlier this month. Sanders spent eight seasons with the Miami Dolphins, where he became one of the league’s premier long-distance threats, boasting a career-long of 57 yards and a 12-for-14 clip from 50+ yards in 2024.

However, Sanders missed the entire 2025 season with a hip injury, leading to his release from Miami after he refused a pay cut. For a Giants team that needs stability on special teams, Sanders represents a high-floor option.

The “Automatic” Rookie: Ben Sauls

If Sanders is the established star, Ben Sauls is the internal favorite with the hot foot. Signed as a UDFA out of Pitt last year, Sauls stepped into a nightmare scenario late in 2025 and handled it with veteran poise. In just three games, Sauls went a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals and 7-for-7 on extra points, showing the same consistency that allowed him to set a Pitt record with a 58-yarder in college. However, his distance has yet to be challenged in the NFL. Sauls did not attempt a kick of 50+ yards in 2025, but he did connect on his career-long 45 yards.

Harbaugh is Placing a New Emphasis on the Giants’ Special Teams

This kicker competition is the first major test of John Harbaugh’s influence over the Giants’ third phase. In Baltimore, Harbaugh treated special teams as a primary weapon, and he’s clearly placing the same emphasis on the unit in New York, evidenced by the team’s record-breaking signing of punter Jordan Stout.

By setting up a head-to-head battle between Sanders’ experience and Sauls’ youthful accuracy, the Giants are ensuring that they won’t repeat the patchwork nightmare of 2025, where the team cycled through four different kickers. Whether it’s the veteran’s leg strength or the rookie’s clean slate that wins out, the Giants are finally prioritizing a position that has cost them far too many close games in recent years.

By Anthony Rivardo

Anthony Rivardo is the COO of Empire Sports Media and the host of Fireside Giants, a New York Giants ... More about Anthony Rivardo