Jets waive Kalif Raymond two days after he muffed punt vs. Raiders

ByRich Cimini ESPN logo
Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Two days after muffing a punt, Kalif Raymond was booted by the New York Jets, who waived the return specialist on Tuesday.

Raymond, acquired on waivers at the end of the preseason, made the single-biggest mistake in the Jets' 45-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

With the Jets trailing by only four points with 1:50 left in the first half, Raymond muffed a punt at his own 14-yard line. The Raiders recovered at the 4 and scored three plays later on a momentum-changing touchdown.

Raymond also had two muffs in Week 1, both recovered by the Jets. After Sunday's game, coach Todd Bowles expressed frustration, admitting he was concerned.

"I'm not going to give any excuses," Raymond said. "You've got to catch the ball. On a punt return, you got to do it. That's one of the easier kicks of the game that I took for granted."

The Jets have two job vacancies because Raymond handled punts and kickoff returns in the first two games. They could turn to wide receiver Jeremy Kerley and/or rookie running back Elijah McGuire or they could use the roster opening to add a return specialist.