Andrew Furney has finally found a home – at least for the time being

The New York Jets signed the former WSU kicker on June 19, adding him to their offseason roster. While he didn’t initially get a contract following his tryout with the Seahawks in May, he got a second chance with the Jets and took advantage of it.

Barring an early termination Furney will head to training camp with the Jets to compete with Nick Folk for the kicking job. Furney spent the past four seasons with the Cougars, where he was twice named an All-Pac-12 selection for his kicking ability and twice named a Pac-12 All-Academic selection for his off-field efforts.

Furney went 47-for-61 in field goal attempts at WSU for the third-most makes and second-highest field goal percentage (.770) in school history. This includes his career-best 60-yarder as a junior, the second-longest in Pac-12 and WSU history.

Despite his impressive resume, however, it seems unlikely that Furney will beat out Folk for the starting position.

Folk signed a four-year, $12 million contract this offseason, a deal which included a guaranteed $2.1 million. Additionally, he made 33 of 36 field goal attempts and was a perfect 27 of 27 in PATs. Either Furney will have to be completely flawless – or Folk will have to undergo a complete meltdown during training camp – in order for the Jets to waste that much guaranteed money.

Luckily for Furney, yearly trends suggest kicker positions on other teams will likely open up, and a strong pre-season could help him land a job with another NFL club. Playing for the Jets would be another audition in which Furney can show other NFL teams his skill-set.

As most Coug fans know, Furney was the most reliable player on their team. He fits the bill of a clutch kicker, and it seems unlikely he won’t eventually find a home within the next couple years. His 60 yards in college football should translate into 60 yards with the pros, and his boot and clutch abilities are sure to land him another spot.

If nothing else, the Jets or another team could use Furney in a two-kicker system where he handles the kickoffs. He put a vast number of kickoffs into the end zone last season, and that’s a skill teams will want at their disposal.

Furney is a great kicker and while he may not end up playing for the Jets, he will eventually make his way to a regular season NFL Roster. It may not even be this year but it seems unlikely that someone with as much talent and heart as Furney doesn’t eventually make his way to the field.