The Washington Commanders are not willing to remain stagnant in any position, especially when an urgent improvement is needed.
This is evident in their ongoing quest to secure a dependable kicker, resulting in the release of Cade York after he missed two field goals in a 37-20 season-opening defeat against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 8.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, the Commanders quickly acted to sign veteran kicker Austin Seibert as York’s replacement.
“The Commanders plan to sign veteran kicker Austin Seibert, per source,” Tom Pelissero wrote on his official X account on September 9. “A quick pivot after Cade York’s struggles on Sunday, which led to his release today.”
York missed two field goals against the Buccaneers, from 56 and 47 yards. A fourth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2022, York was on his fourth team in three seasons.
“It’s certainly not ideal, but it shows that if it’s not right, you don’t stay put,” Washington head coach Dan Quinn told ESPN. “We will get there. I’m disappointed … but we owe it to everyone to keep looking for solutions.”
The Washington Commanders believed they had secured their kicker for the 2024 season when they signed Brandon McManus to a 1-year, $3.6 million deal during the offseason. McManus had a solid 2023 campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, making 30 of 37 field-goal attempts and converting all 35 extra point attempts.
However, McManus’ time in Washington was cut short when the team released him after he was accused of sexual assault in a lawsuit filed by two women, alleging an incident during his tenure with the Jaguars. The lawsuit was later dismissed, as it failed to meet the “exceptional case” standards that would have allowed the plaintiffs to file anonymously, according to ESPN.
In 2023, the Washington Commanders’ full-time kicker was Joey Slye, who made 19 of 24 field-goal attempts, including a franchise-record 61-yard field goal.
Slye signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in March 2024 but was released in April. He then signed with the New England Patriots in May.
Austin Seibert, like Cade York, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns after an impressive college career. He set an NCAA record for kickers with 499 points at Oklahoma in 2018. Seibert earned a spot on the PFWAA All-Rookie Team in 2019 after making 30 of 35 PATs and 25 of 29 field-goal attempts. However, he was cut by the Browns after Week 1 of the 2020 season following a missed field goal and PAT in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Since then, Seibert has bounced between teams, playing for five franchises in the past four seasons, including the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, New York Jets (twice), New Orleans Saints, and now the Washington Commanders. He was part of the Jets’ final roster cuts in 2024.
While the Commanders’ punter Tress Way is a 2-time Pro Bowler, the team has struggled to find consistent kicking talent.
Washington hasn’t had a Pro Bowl kicker since Chip Lohmiller in 1991 and hasn’t had an NFL All-Pro kicker since Mark Moseley in 1982.
Moseley holds a unique place in NFL history as the only primary special teams player to ever win NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors. He achieved this feat during the strike-shortened 1982 season, where he also helped lead Washington to a Super Bowl victory. Moseley is one of just three non-offensive players to be named MVP, with the last being New York Giants linebacker and Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor in 1986.