Dec 24, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings place kicker Greg Joseph (1) celebrates the win after the game against the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports.
In the last three weeks, former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph has worked for the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and now the New York Giants.
Indeed, the veteran specialist is on the move again, just days removed from joining the Lions’ practice squad. He’s a Giant.
Joseph’s agent, Brett Tessler, tweeted Tuesday, “The New York Giants are signing my client Greg Joseph to their active roster from the Detroit Lions p-squad. 7-yr vet kicked for the Vikings the past 3 seasons and holds NFL record for game-winners in a season (5), Vikings record for longest FG (61 yds), & led NFL in TB% in ’21.”
Call it a practice squad pilfer.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted the corresponding news soon after the Tessler tweet: “In a corresponding move, the Giants placed kicker Graham Gano on injured reserve. Giants also claimed LB Patrick Johnson off waivers from the Eagles.”
In short, it’s Gano out and Joseph in.
The Giants’ new kicker played for Minnesota from 2021 to 2023, securing the kicker job longer than most amid the last decade of Vikings football. Joseph racked up five game-winning field goals in 2022 — you read that right: five — a chief component in actionizing the Vikings’ NFL-record-setting 11-0 record in games decided by one score or less that season. Minnesota’s kicker won five football games for the team notoriously snakebitten by kicker-related tomfoolery.
Yet, in back-to-back seasons, 2022 and 2023, Joseph ranked as a bottom-six NFL kicker per overall field goal percentage. The man also struggled with extra points. Vikings fans “appreciated what they had” in Joseph, jaded from kickers of yesteryear who let them down in crucial, pressure-cooked moments. But as a matter of improvement, Minnesota strived to find a kicker who could do it all: consistently hit game-winning kicks, normal ones, and drill extra points.
So, the Vikings drafted coveted Alabama kicker Will Reichard in April, who has performed wonderfully since his arrival, especially to start the regular season. Reichard was perfect for the Vikings in Week 1 and 2, albeit for just extra-point duty and two chip-shot field goals, as his team has downed the Giants and San Francisco 49ers out of the gate,
This statistic is the main reason that the Vikings preferred a new solution in Reichard:
Greg Joseph,
Field Goal % Ranking,
Last 2 Seasons:
2022 = 28th
2023 = 28th
Ironically, Joseph hit the longest field goal in Vikings history to beat the Giants two years ago at U.S. Bank Stadium.
New York is 0-2 and considered one of the worst teams in the NFL through two weeks.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.