Throughout the entire season, the New Orleans Saints have experienced special teams woes, which have significantly impacted the outcome of many games.
Although there were issues throughout all parts of the special teams, kicker Blake Grupe was having a disappointing season. Following Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, a change was needed, and it finally occurred.
Saints Sign New Kicker, Resulting in the Release of Blake Grupe
Yesterday, it was announced that the Saints invited two kickers, Cade York and Justin Tucker, to a workout during Tuesday’s practice. This was the first step towards making a change at kicker, and today, according to Nick Underhill & Mike Garafolo, the Saints have signed York and released Grupe.
Cade York in for the #Saints to the practice squad. Blake Grupe is being released, source says. https://t.co/EGaIdYH36c
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 25, 2025
The Saints’ offense has been more than disappointing this season. They are ranked 29th according to PFSN’s Offense Impact with an impact score of 63.1.
Why Signing Cade York Was the Correct Decision
In this scenario, the Saints had three options, but New Orleans ultimately made the best choice. Sticking with Grupe would have been the opposite of a winning move and a bad message to the players.
If they had gone with Tucker, it would also have made little sense given his already on-the-field struggles/age, as well as the off-the-field concerns about the sexual misconduct allegations against him.
This decision would have been risky if they had chosen any other option, but the Saints opted for York, and it makes sense why. So far in his young career (24 years old), York has not been the best, but with his age, improvement is a real possibility.
He was one of the best kickers in college football for LSU. During his first year with the Cleveland Browns, York was 75 percent on field goals, but in the 2024 season for the Cincinnati Bengals, York was 81.8 percent. There is hope that this positive increase could continue, but York will still have competition during practice.
With Grupe gone, the Saints will have York and Charlie Smyth as the only kickers on the roster. Smyth has been a developmental player on the practice squad for the past two seasons and could very well emerge as the winner in this battle. This will be something to watch for Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.
