FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — The Folk Hero is back in The Big Apple.
Veteran kicker Nick Folk signed with the New York Jets on Tuesday, reuniting with the franchise for which he played for seven seasons from 2010 through 2016.
The 40-year-old Folk will compete with rookie Harrison Mevis for the kicking job this season for new head coach Aaron Glenn and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo. Rookie Caden Davis, who was competing with Mevis, was waived by New York earlier in the day.
“Listen, he is a very established kicker in this league,” Glenn said of Folk. “When you go back and you look at his stats from the last couple of years, man, they’ve been above board. And I’ve said this from the beginning: Anybody that can help us win games, man, we’re going to take a look at that.”
Folk was nicknamed “Folk Hero” during his first stint with the Jets for his ability to make crucial kicks, particularly during the second of New York's consecutive runs to the AFC championship game under Rex Ryan in the 2010 season.
His 729 points rank second on the Jets' franchise list, trailing only Pat Leahy (1,470). In 104 games with New York, Folk was 175 of 213 on field-goal attempts (82.2%) and 204 of 206 on extra points.
“I’m happy that he chose us, all right,” Glenn said, “to be a part of what we’re trying to do.”
Folk kicked the last two seasons for Tennessee, which chose to move on from him in the offseason when the Titans signed Joey Slye. Folk previously played four years for New England, where he had a career resurgence.
He was a sixth-round draft pick of Dallas in 2007 out of Arizona and was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie. After three years with the Cowboys, he signed a free agent deal with the Jets in 2010. His 56-yard field goal that season set a franchise that has since been eclipsed. Folk booted a 32-yarder with 3 seconds left to beat Indianapolis in the AFC wild-card round.
Folk signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent in 2017 and struggled with an injury before being released. He was out of football until signing with Arizona of the Alliance of American Football in 2019.
In other roster moves Tuesday, the Jets signed running back Lawrance Toafili and offensive lineman Liam Fornadel and waived/injured center Gus Hartwig, who left practice Monday with a knee injury.
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FILE - New York Jets kicker Nick Folk (2) kicks a field goal from the hold of Lac Edwards during the second half an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert, File)
BOSTON (AP) — When Zdeno Chara signed with the Boston Bruins in 2006, the No. 3 he wore early in his career had already been retired by the Original Six franchise.
So he picked No. 33 without giving it much thought.
“Little did I know how meaningful 33 was,” Chara said on Thursday night before his number was raised to the TD Garden rafters not far from where Larry Bird's No. 33 already hangs in Celtics green.
It is the 13th number retired by the Bruins, and the latest in a collection of Hall of Fame defenseman that runs from Eddie Shore to Bobby Orr to Raymond Bourque.
“It's a huge honor,” Chara told reporters. "I can’t explain to you how honored I feel. I’m humbled about being selected to be one of the numbers being retired. Being with that history, forever."
The 2009 Norris Trophy winner and a 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Chara spent 14 of his 24 NHL seasons in Boston, leading the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship. His 1,680 games is the most of any NHL defenseman; at 6 feet, 9 inches (2.06m), he is the tallest player in league history, and his 108.8 mph (175.1 kmh) slap shot in the 2012 skills competition remains the NHL record.
But his teammates and other Bruins attending Thursday's ceremony said Chara's biggest contribution was signing with a team that hadn't won a playoff series in six years — “the best decision I ever made” — and turning them into champions.
“Things really changed when Zee came here as a free agent,” Bourque said. "From that point on, the culture and everything that comes with that, and the success and the run that they had, he was such a big part of that.
“He’s a legend,” Bourque said. “He really deserves to be up there.”
Bourque was among the former Bruins greats in attendance, along with Orr — both of them, like Chara, Boston defensemen who finished their careers elsewhere on their way to the Hall of Fame. They arrived via gold carpet that led them past adoring fans and the statue of Orr flying through the air following his Cup-winning goal in the 1970 finals.
Other fellow retired number honorees in attendance included Cam Neely, Willie O’Ree, Rick Middleton, Terry O'Reilly and John Bucyk. The current Bruins sat on the bench, all wearing Chara jerseys.
Five members of the 2011 roster — Patrice Bergeron, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask — carried the retired number onto the ice, and teammate Andrew Ference served as emcee.
In his speech, Chara read the names of every player on the Bruins last Cup winners. Asked why, he said after: “Without championships, you are not going to be successful, you’re not going to be recognized.
"The championships, that’s what they do. They raise everyone, they extend careers for everyone,” he explained. "They create dynasties. They create stories. They create memories. They created what we’re experiencing tonight.
"It’s very simple: Once you win the championship, everything gets so much better for everyone. And the most beautiful thing about it: You create extended families with each other. It’s true. You have bonds, you have friendships that are now still forever. It’s amazing; it’s like you’re seeing your brother. You trust the person; you know everything about them. And anytime anybody needs something, you’re there for them.
“That’s what winning championships do,” he said. “Not just for a career, but for the rest of your lives, it means something very special.”
The ceremony at center ice featured a “Big Zee” ice sculpture flanking the podium and a large No. 33 behind it. Fans were asked to get in their seats two hours early, and the full TD Garden erupted in a giant shout of “Zee!” followed by an extended cheer of “Thank you, Chara!”
A highlight video featured former Bruins Brad Marchand and current coach Marco Sturm, Chara's teammate from 2006-10. Many of them spoke of the way Chara led by example.
“He wasn’t really a ‘Rah, rah!’ guy,” former Bruins forward and current team president Neely said, “but when he spoke, it was with a purpose.”
And so, when it was time to raise his No. 33 to the rafters, Chara stood by with his wife, Tatiana, while their children — Zack, Ben and Elliz — pulled the ropes.
“That’s the biggest reward for me: To see my children and my family doing it instead of me. I think I get better joy watching them doing it than the joy of me doing it because it's so much more meaningful,” he explained. "They deserve that more than me."
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Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara speaks during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara leads his family over to his number "33" to raise it to the rafters before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, center, waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony, as Bruins' players with their number already retired, from left, Willie O'Ree, Rick Middleton, Terrry O'Reilly, Cam Neely, emcee Andrew Ferrance and Bobby Orr look on before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara's number "33" is raised to the rafters at TD Garden before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
Bobby Orr applauds, left bottom, as former Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara waves to the crowd during his number retirement ceremony before an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Seattle Kraken, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)
