Miami Dolphins fans know Jason Sanders all too well. They know the Sanders who kicked 37 of 41 attempts in 2024, and they remember the Sanders who missed key field goals that could have won them a game.
Sanders wasn't always perfect, but he was better than anyone Miami had since Olindo Mare, simply because he lasted longer. Despite seven seasons with the Dolphins, Sanders is still only ranked 10th among all Dolphins kickers in field-goal percentage.
On Sunday, the Dolphins will face their former kicker, who was released by Jon-Eric Sullivan this past offseason in favor of Zane Gonzalez and Riley Patterson.
The former may have won the competition, but earlier in the week, Miami released Sanders' fill-in from a year ago and brought back the guy he beat in camp.
Miami Dolphins need the old, inconsistent Jason Sanders in Week 7
Miami will need every break they can get as they start looking for their first win of the season. Sanders won't help put points on the Dolphins' scoreboard, but he could help keep them off the Jets'.
The former Dolphins kicker has missed just one of his 13 attempts this season: a 50-plus-yard attempt.
The Dolphins are only carrying $660,000 in dead money after letting him go, but there wasn't much of a choice. Sanders was coming off a groin injury that sidelined him for the first four weeks of the 2025 season. That turned into eight weeks and then the entire season.
The Jets haven't really leaned on their kicker much this season. In Week 1, he made 3 of 4 in a win over the Titans, but in Week 6, he made all 4 attempts in a loss. Between Weeks 1 and 6, Sanders has attempted more than one field goal just once. Two attempts against Chicago in Week 4...another loss. He missed his only extra point of the season in that game as well.
Many Dolphins fans still think Sanders should have remained with Miami, but his salary demands, injury concerns, and occasional inconsistency all played a role in his eventual departure.
Sunday will be the first time that Sanders will face his old team, and he would love nothing more than to put another nail in their 2026 season of losing, but Dolphins fans know that sometimes the pressure can get to him, and it just might on Sunday. Maybe the game comes down to Sanders helping his former team one more time.
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