They say patience is a virtue — but they’ve clearly never sat through three seasons of special teams mismanagement. Big Blue’s kicking woes have become a running joke, driven by overreliance on an aging Graham Gano and a repeated failure to implement a viable backup plan.
From trotting out a clearly injured Gano in 2024 — without even elevating a backup kicker — to placing him on IR in 2025 and choosing unproven Jude McAtamney over veteran Younghoe Koo, the Giants’ handling of the position has been baffling. McAtamney won the job out of practice, but after missing three extra points over the past two weeks, the gamble backfired, resulting in the release of the Irishman.
Even still, the front office’s repeated decisions to ignore obvious, proven options in favor of patchwork solutions have created a rotating door of inconsistency and directly contributed to losses.
Related: It took Giants two weeks to regret hasty decision that’s already proving costly
It’s reached the point where hope feels nonexistent, leaving Giants fans staring down the most underwhelming fix to their kicking mess: Sit tight and wait for Gano to get healthy.
Giants fans forced to sit tight and wait for Graham Gano to get off IR
The 38-year-old veteran landed on IR with a groin injury in Week 3, sidelining him for at least four weeks. He's able to come back in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but no updates have been released yet.
When asked about a potential update last week, special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial sounded just as in the dark as everyone else:
"You'll have to ask (head coach Brian Daboll) Dabs on that. Injury-wise, not sure about that."Michael Ghobrial
In an age where change is expected instantly, with no time to waste, this waiting-game solution to the ongoing problems isn't going to make anyone happy. How many more games can the fans realistically watch where the same issues arise and nothing gets done?
Koo is an interesting option for right now. But it's safe to wonder what he has left to offer after flaming out with the Atlanta Falcons and not beating out McAtamney in the first place.
The bad news is that the reliable-kicker free agent market has dried up, leaving general manager Joe Schoen to his own devices to fix the problem he's ignored for years.
The worst part is that Gano’s consistency has already taken a hit over the past two seasons due to lingering health issues. He was off to a promising start in 2025, going 6-for-6 on field goals before the injury. But groin issues tend to linger, and there’s a real chance the 16-year vet starts to resemble the version fans have seen too often lately — not the one they were hoping was finally back.
Hopefully Gano returns and brings back some of the consistency fans remember. But it’s been two-plus seasons since he’s put together a strong campaign — and there’s not much reason to believe that changes now. This whole situation is insufferable.