If only sweet nicknames were factored into roster decisions, then maybe the New York Giants would have kept former punter Jamie “The Scottish Hammer” Gillan on the team. Unfortunately for Gillan, that’s not how roster spots work.
Earlier in the offseason, the G-Men chose to cut the 29-year-old in favor of All-Pro free agent Jordan Stout after a pretty rough 2025 season:
- Second-worst yards per punt (44.5)
- Fourth-worst in net yards per punt (38.0)
- Fourth-worst percentage of punts downed inside opponents' 20-yard line (30.9%)
Gillan had been Big Blue's punter for four years, following three years with the Cleveland Browns. His time in a Giants uniform was all but over as soon as the team hired John Harbaugh as its next head coach -- you see, Harby goes cuckoo for special teams.
For the past couple of months, the eight-year pro has been waiting for his next opportunity, and according to Mike Garafolo, that wait has never felt closer to being over than it did on Thursday. The NFL insider reported that the New England Patriots had him in for a workout:
The #Patriots worked out former #Browns and #Giants P Jamie “The Scottish Hammer” Gillian.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) August 27, 2026
He left without a contract, and with Matt Haack and Bryce Baringer already on the roster, there might be one too many punters in the way of a new home in Foxborough.
Giants traded the Scottish Hammer for something a little Stouter
Gillan never quite found his footing with the Giants (pun intended).
His time in East Rutherford was a total rollercoaster. He just couldn't stop shanking punts at the worst possible moments. The inconsistencies on a punt-to-punt basis practically forced New York to cut him loose and find someone more reliable.
Enter Stout. There has to be a Scottish Hammer and Stout pun in there somewhere, but my brain can’t get there right now -- so we move on.
Stout followed Harbs up I-95 in free agency following a truly impressive 2025 season. The 28-year-old signed a three-year, $12.3 million contract, making him the highest-paid punter in NFL history. And rightfully so.
The former first-team All-Big Ten punter (Penn State) and a consensus All-American in 2021 finished fourth in yards per punt last year (50.1), first in net yards per punt (44.9), and ninth in the percentage of punts downed inside opponents' 20-yard line (45.3%).
It’s pretty easy to see why the Giants made the switch. Stout is exactly the kind of special teams weapon Harbaugh needed, while Gillan needed a fresh start after four inconsistent years in East Rutherford. Foxborough might not be that fresh start, but with roster cuts looming, the Scottish Hammer should have a few more nails to hit soon enough.
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