The Giants cut ties with Jude McAtamney after his disastrous two-PAT game Sunday aided a historic collapse in Denver. Some help is coming soon at this position in New York, however.
Graham Gano will return to practice today, per Brian Daboll, who indicated (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) the team will designate the veteran kicker for return. This starts a 21-day activation clock, which has been quite relevant for the Giants during the Gano era.
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Set to be the team’s kicker this week (per Daboll) if healthy, Gano has now missed 20 games since the 2023 season. The Giants placed their longtime kicker on IR in 2023 and ’24, with knee and hamstring injuries leading him off the 53-man roster. A groin malady sustained during pregame warmups in Week 3 sidelined Gano. All of these absences have come since Gano signed a three-year, $16.5MM extension. Despite the trouble staying healthy in 2023 and ’24, the 38-year-old specialist has remained the Giants’ preferred kicker.
McAtamney kicked in all four games during the regular option’s absence, mostly being asked to kick extra points only. That did not go well in the fourth and final game of this stint. The second of McAtamney’s two PAT misses opened the door to the Broncos — who had already completed a historic comeback by erasing an 18-point deficit with less than six minutes remaining — to attempt a game-winning field goal on their final drive. Wil Lutz‘s make keyed a final lead change to stun the Giants in a 33-32 thriller. The team waived McAtamney on Tuesday, cutting ties with the Northern Ireland native after more than a year.
If Gano is not ready to return this week, the Giants have Younghoe Koo on their practice squad. Koo has been on the team’s P-squad since shortly after Gano’s groin injury, with the team deeming McAtamney a better option. McAtamney only attempted two field goals during the Gano injury hiatus, making both (from inside 40 yards). Koo obviously has far more experience, but the Falcons released him early this season after a rough start. The ninth-year veteran could see his number called if Gano is not ready for Week 8.