Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
One of the biggest surprises of the 2025 New Orleans Saints’ season has been the performance of kicker Blake Grupe.
After making all but one kick (which took place in the middle of a surprise downpour) all offseason and preseason, Grupe has made only 70% of his field goal attempts in the regular season.
The percentage is the lowest in the NFL among all kickers with at least ten field goal attempts.
He has missed at least one kick in five of the team’s seven games so far. Three of his six missed kicks on the season have come from inside 50 yards with two being from 40 or closer. He is a perfect 11/11 on extra points.
The performance has been a disappointing one, not just for the high expectations around the kicker, but for Grupe himself.
Now, he runs the risk of being surpassed by another young kicker in the building, Charlie Smyth. The Saints have remained committed to Grupe and are giving him ample opportunities to shake out of the rut he’s found himself in this season. But with another miss last week, he’s not yet broken the trend.
Smyth struggled throughout training camp early, but late and through the preseason he made 14 consecutive kicks. He’s got a big leg, but accuracy has been the area of growth for him since entering the league as a part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program.
Soon, the Saints could elect to get a look at that progress on gamedays, should Grupe’s inconsistencies continue.
The veteran kicker is a talented one, of that there is no doubt, and the team has every reason to remain patient. However, if the struggles continue, they would be justified in getting a look at another option, especially one they have invested time in like Smyth.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said on WWL Radio on Tuesday that he was aware the 2025 season would be a developmental season. That’s a light acknowledgement that the team knows that the more talent it sees throughout the year, the more information it has in order to make decisions for its future.
Loomis said they didn’t expect to be 1-6 but recognized in a lot of ways that this would be a development year. He said “There’s been a lot of good things but it’s hard to look past the results, especially if you’re a fan of the Saints.”
— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) October 22, 2025
Kicker should not be left out of that equation. Grupe will likely get more chances to get out of his funk. But if he can’t, it may soon be time to get a look at another option.
