This past offseason, the Atlanta Falcons signed Nick Folk to a two-year, $9 million deal thinking he would be the answer to their long-standing kicker woes. He was one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history before this season, but ever since he joined the Falcons, he hasn't been the same guy.
Folk made just 13 of his 18 field goal attempts in 2026, including a miss from 38 yards out in the 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. It's evident that Father Time has caught up to him, as he lacks the same long-range ability he once had. He's missed three kicks from 50+ yards this season alone, which is the same amount of 50+ yard field goals he's missed the last three years combined.
You'd expect the range to go for an older kicker, but there must be something in the water in Atlanta, because even his reliability has faded. Prior to this season, Folk had one season with a field goal conversation rate lower than 90%, yet he's drilled just 72.2% of his FG attempts this season.
Let's remember the Dirty Birds made the 42-year-old the fifth-highest paid kicker in the NFL ($4.5M AAV) and forfeited a 2027 comp pick in order to sign him. So of course, Falcons fans were clamoring for the team to cut bait when he struggled, and they unlike the previous regime, they actually listened.
Jordan Schultz reported that the Falcons signed Jake Moody to the active roster in the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad and cutting Folk was the corresponding move. And other than this being about five weeks overdue, it's nice to see Kevin Stefanski and Ian Cunningham addressing issues.
The Atlanta Falcons are releasing Nick Folk and signing Jake Moody instead
We knew a move like this was coming after Stefanski declined to comment on whether or not the Dirty Birds would hold a kicker tryout. It eventually got too hard for him to continue believing in the veteran amid the struggles, but Jake Moody is an intriguing high-upside add for a kicker-needy team.
Moody was a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers back in 2023, and he drilled 21 of his 25 (84%) of his field goal attempts as a rookie. That went down to 70.6% in 2024, and after he missed two of his three field goal attempts in the Niners' season opener last season, they released him.
In addition to his time with the 49ers, the 26-year-old has spent time with the Bears, Commanders, and obviously the Ravens--and has 41 starts under his belt in four years. And in the Ravens' Week 9 loss to the Jaguars last Thursday, Moody drilled his first field goal attempt of 2026--a 53-yard try.
He has a much bigger leg than his predecessor, as his career- long in the NFL is 57 yards and college long is 59 yards. So while his accuracy (78.3% career make rate) isn't great, at least the Falcons now have a kicker they can trust with longer-range kicks instead of having to go for it as frequently.
"Money Moody" as he was so generously nicknamed at Michigan, holds the Wolverines' program record for points scored, and this feels like a major course-correct from the Falcons. For the first time in his career, Jake Moody is playing in a dome in Atlanta, which should make life easier on him.
It's safe to say signing Nick Folk was probably the worst move Ian Cunningham has made as the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, so while they thought he'd be a crucial pickup, he was anything but. Thankfully he's finally been replaced by a kicker who's younger and has a stronger leg.
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