Greg Joseph is kicking for everyone but the Minnesota Vikings

Veteran kicker Greg Joseph spent three seasons with Minnesota before the Vikings decided to go in a different direction this offseason. He was out looking for a new job and he has proven to be very good at finding new landing spots. Joseph is joining his fourth team of 2024.

The New York Jets are signing my client Greg Joseph to their 53-man roster and he'll be kicking for them this weekend. 7-year vet signed to their practice squad last week and also kicked for the Giants and Commanders this season.

— Brett Tessler (@TesslerSports) December 31, 2024

Greg Joseph won the Green Bay Packers kicking job out of the preseason but never saw action after they claimed Brayden Narveson. He then spent six games with the New York Giants in which he converted 13-of-16 field goals. Needing another new landing spot, he went to Washington and converted on 2-of-3 kicks in one game.

Although the New York Jets have nothing to play for in Week 18, they need someone to handle kicking duties. Joseph volunteered to be that someone in exchange for a nice game check.

GREG JOSEPH 61-YARD FIELD GOAL FOR THE WIN! @VIKINGS #NYGvsMIN pic.twitter.com/a7JwsbirRX

— NFL (@NFL) December 24, 2022

With Minnesota Joseph played in 51 games and converted on 83-of-101 field goals (82.2%). His 112-of-124 (90.3%) rate on extra points left plenty to be desired. He did bang home a 40-yard field goal to cap off the largest comeback in NFL history, and followed it up with a 61-yard walkoff against New York during the 2022 season.

Related: Of Course the Vikings are Going to Activate Daniel Jones

Joseph is just 30 years old and presumably will be looking for work again next year. I’d assume both agent Brett Tessler and Joseph would prefer a more stable form of employment in 2025.

Former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph cut by Green Bay

Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers brought Joseph in for their ugly training camp competition, and he even made the final 53-man roster, beating out incumbent, Anders Carlson. Less than 24-hours later, though, he has been cut, in favor of North Carolina State undrafted rookie Brayden Narveson.

After claiming kicker Brayden Narveson, the #Packers released veteran K Greg Joseph.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 28, 2024

Narveson, who played for three different schools in college, connected on six of his seven field goal attempts this preseason. He was successful from 59 yards, and made a pair of extra points. He connected on 196 straight collegiate extra points, but hit just 71-of-91 field goals.

Related: Former Vikings Kicker Has Been Awful for Packers in Ugly Training Camp Battle

The veteran finds himself on the outs after making just 3-of-4 kicks for the Packers during exhibition contests. Last season Joseph hit just 80% of his field goals for the Vikings and missed a pair of extra points.

Rookie kickers take center stage for Vikings and Packers

With the Packer signing Narveson, there will be a pair of rookie placekickers trotted out in the NFC North. Minnesota used a draft pick to grab Alabama’s Will Reichard, and so far it looks like a great decision.

The Vikings kicker went 4-for-4 during preseason action, including a game winner. He hit from 57 yards and didn’t miss an extra point. All training camp the results have been praised.

.@Vikings K Will Reichard booms a 57-yard field goal 💪

📱: Stream #MINvsPHI on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/1koyIp258o

— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2024

Minnesota is still looking for kicker continuity that has escaped them for multiple decades. Aside from brief stretches from a couple of players, they have had constant turnover at a pivotal position. Of course Daniel Carlson could still be in the building had Mike Zimmer not grown tired so quickly.

Related: Vikings Rookie Kicker Caps Off Near-Perfect Preseason

It remains to be seen how much Kevin O’Connell and Matt Daniels will put up with. Reichard hasn’t drawn the ire of anyone in the building to this point. The more he makes, the better off he is. Narveson will make his Green Bay debut during Week 1.

Joseph, age 30, has already bounced around the league several times. He opened his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, making 85 percent of his field-goal attempts as a rookie.

He then spent the 2019 season with the Tennessee Titans, attempting 11 kickoffs and nine extra points without a single field-goal attempt. In 2021, Minnesota signed him to solve its kicking issues.

Related: Fantasy kicker rankings 2024, see where Minnesota Vikings’ Will Reichard lands

• Greg Joseph stats (Pro Football Reference): 50-of-63 on field-goal attempts (79.4 percent), 76-of-84 on extra-point attempts (90.5 percent) in 2 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings

While Joseph made 86.8 percent of his field-goal attempts as the Vikings kicker in 2021, he missed multiple game-winning field goals early in the season. Eventually, he turned things around, delivering game-winners over the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.

Joseph would never recapture that form. He made just 78.8 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2022, including a 40 percent hit rate on 10 attempts from 50-plus yards. After he made just 80 percent of his field-goal attempts last season, with three misses from 40-49 yards, Minnesota moved on.

Also Read: 2025 NFL Draft order, Minnesota Vikings draft picks 2025

The Packers signed him in March, hoping he could beat out Anders Carlson in a kicking competition and eventually deliver some clutch kicks against Minnesota. Weeks into Packers training camp, Green Bay is quickly realizing it has a major problem.

Former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph struggling at Green Bay Packers training camp

When Packers training camp began in July, the team hoped either Carlson or Joseph would run away with the competition. While Joseph was coming off an inconsistent 2023 season, Carlson is fighting for a roster spot after a rocky rookie season. He made just 81.8 percent of his field-goal attempts, going 1-for-2 in January and finishing with just an 80.8 percent conversion rate on kicks outdoors.

On Tuesday, just days out from the Packers’ final preseason game, there was still no clear winner. Joseph went 2-for-5 on field-goal attempts, while Carlson made 4-of-5. Alex Hale, who Green Bay signed as added competition, went 3-for-5. Following Tuesday’s practice, the race to become the Packers kicker in 2024 remains ugly.

Will Reichard hitting bombs, meanwhile in #Packers land Greg Joseph… 😏
pic.twitter.com/l130YQcCiP

— The Purple Persuasion (@TPPSkol) August 19, 2024

Related: Brian Flores receives huge support from Vikings players following Tua Tagovailoa’s comments

While kickers are making adjustments more frequently in training camp practices than in the regular season, they also have the benefit of practices being less intense and without 60,000-plus fans watching them closely. Despite the more comfortable setting, the Packers kicking competition remains a mess.

Joseph and Carlson likely have an equal shot at winning the competition, but it’s evident the Packers coaching staff won’t have much confidence in either kicker. So, while Joseph is no longer on the Vikings roster, he might still be helping Minnesota beat its rival in 2024.

In week 5, Cousins played Batman while Greg Joseph played Robin. After Mr. Conservative, Mike Zimmer, allowed the Lions to take the lead in a game they had no business winning, Kirk Cousins used 37 seconds and two timeouts to drive over nearly 50 yards to put Greg Joseph JUST BARELY in range to hit the game-winner.

But on Sunday of week 6, the Batman/Robin hero effort with less than a minute remaining wasn’t enough. I mean, Kirk did his job, using less than a minute to drive the Vikings’ offense down the field to within easy field goal range of Greg Joseph. But, week 5’s Robin failed him in week 6.

Cold blooded Kirk Cousins drives the #Vikings into easy Greg Joseph field goal range for the… miss. pic.twitter.com/aCzwLRlptJ

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 18, 2021

Overtime

Luckily, since the game was already tied, Minnesota got another chance and won the OT coin toss. And with the new rules that make an opening drive touchdown so important in OT, Mike Zimmer couldn’t afford to hold his offense back. So, Kirk Cousins and Klint Kubiak got the green light to be aggressive and go for the touchdown.

With Dalvin Cook playing the role of Robin this weekend, Kirk Batman Cousins methodically led the Vikings down the field. Throw after throw, dime after dime the QB who wears number 8 for the purple and gold was not going to be stopped.

Finally, with the Panthers defense wobbling like a street fighter character on the verge of defeat, Kirk Cousins finished them with a touchdown strike to KJ Osborne for the victory. That means the Vikings somehow head into the bye week somehow a 3-3 football team, despite their head coach’s best efforts to keep that from happening.

Vikings just went….TITANIC #skol pic.twitter.com/HRHgbPEmd6

— 10,000 Takes (@10kTakes_) October 17, 2021

Mike Zimmer is the problem

How many close games does Mike Zimmer have to play in before he realizes that trying your best NOT TO LOSE no longer works in the NFL. You have to stomp and beat the shit out of other teams while you have them down and asking for mercy.

If you let anyone, even bad teams like Carolina and Detroit, hang around in this league, you will often live to regret it. It cost the Vikings games early on and it’s almost lead to two back-to-back heart-stomping defeats that had to be saved by Batman Kirk Cousins.

This week, Zimmer opted for a field goal on a VERY short 4th down and inches at the Panther 6-yard line, something that made no sense at the time. Then, after taking a 7-point lead late in the 3rd quarter, Zimmer and the Vikings had a chance to take a two-possession (9-point) lead with a two-point conversion. Of course, Mike opted for the extra-point and 8-point lead.

I immediately called for the Vikings to try for the two points after Thielen scored this ridiculous touchdown. Luckily for Zim, his stupid decision to kick the extra point didn’t come back to bite him this time.

How did Thielen catch this?! #SKOL

????: #MINvsCAR on FOX
????: NFL app pic.twitter.com/uQIa8mOHBj

— NFL (@NFL) October 17, 2021

GO FOR TWO

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 17, 2021

Firework finish was avoidable

Had the Vikings gone for two and converted, Carolina wouldn’t have been able to tie with their last score, a 2-point conversion of their own. If the Vikings had failed to convert in that hypothetical scenario, then they’re still leading by 7 points and the Panthers likely kick an extra point to go to overtime, instead of needing their own two points.

Thanks to the QB he looked down upon for so long, Zimmer got away with bad coaching at the end of this game. Maybe that’s why he smiled this time, when Kirk embraced him after the win…

YOU LIKE THAT?!?! pic.twitter.com/xlx3hC2ZKP

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 17, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

We like it. Some things just feel right. We don’t get nice things in Minnesota and this afternoon was just the latest proof. Everyone knew what was coming. That should make it easier, right?

Don’t leave it up to Joseph.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 19, 2021

Field goals make me uncomfortable.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 19, 2021

Greg Joseph misses the kick as time expires and the Vikings lose their second straight game. Yikes. pic.twitter.com/S1kNMiflmX

— Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL) September 19, 2021

ONLY USE WHEN ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY

Minnesota Vikings kickers should be seen as fire extinguishers. You only use them when you absolutely have to. Avoid them at all costs. Are you better off using an extinguisher than letting your house catch blaze? Yes, but why not avoid the fire and the extinguisher in the first place?

The last offensive play of Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals ended at the Arizona 18-yard-line with 41 seconds left on the clock. The Vikings still had one timeout left. Instead of rushing to the line and spiking the ball or using that final timeout, they let the clock run down to 4 seconds and sent Greg Joseph onto the field to lose the game.

41 secs left when Obsorn was touched down and you let the clock run all the way down and miss a FG pic.twitter.com/YlVM7KYsWu

— CJ Fogler #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) September 19, 2021

Kirk Cousins is the most careful quarterback in the NFL and 41 seconds is a lifetime. There are so many options that the offense could have taken to the end zone. They could have thrown short anywhere on the field if they wanted to play it safe or they could have taken their timeout and thrown 2 shots at the endzone, if they wanted to play it aggressive.

Anything would’ve been better than, “alright Greg Joseph will take us home from here”. No he won’t. Because he’s a kicker and kickers can NEVER be trusted to win games once they put on a Minnesota Vikings jersey. It’s just science.

Play to win. Go for the end zone.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan