Patriots try out kickers amid Stephen Gostkowski’s struggles (Updated)
By Matt McCarthy, 985TheSportsHub.com
Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski is off to the worst start of his career, missing four extra points and a field goal in the first four games of the season.
Now the Patriots are working out free agent kickers.
Mike Reiss of ESPN was the first to report the news. Reiss pointed out that the Patriots often bring players in for tryouts at this time of year to keep their emergency lists updated in the event of injuries at any position, but Gostkowski’s struggles so far this season certainly can’t be overlooked. (Update: The Patriots are reportedly placing Gostkowski on injured reserve.)
The Patriots are working out some free-agent kickers today, which is consistent with their due-diligence approach at all positions to keep emergency lists updated. Veteran Stephen Gostkowski has missed four P.A.T.s this year, which adds a layer of context to the kicker workouts.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 2, 2019
The 35-year-old Gostkowski signed a two-year contract worth up to $8.5 million with the Patriots in April. Gostkowski’s $4.25 million average annual value ties him with Carolina’s Graham Gano for the third-highest among kickers in the league, behind San Francisco’s Robbie Gould ($4.75 million) and Baltimore’s Justin Tucker ($5 million).
It is not yet clear how many kickers the Patriots are working out on Wednesday.
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