Thomas Morstead is excited about coming back to the Big Apple. The former Pro Bowl kicker, who played in seven games with the team back in 2021, officially re-signed with the Jets on Friday.
Morstead, a Super Bowl champion with the Saints back in 2009, celebrated the news of his return to New York via social media.
Let’s run it back!#Jets #AllGasNoBrakes pic.twitter.com/7F5hjhmuPK
— Thomas Morstead (@thomasmorstead) April 7, 2023
A late bloomer to football, Morstead played college football at SMU despite not playing football on a full-time basis until his senior year of high school. He patiently waited his turn at SMU before performing well enough to become a fifth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.
After a highly successful rookie season, Morstead and the Saints found themselves matched up against Peyton Manning's Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Trailing at halftime and looking for a spark, coach Sean Payton called on Morstead to kick the earliest attempted onside kick in Super Bowl history.
Morstead's perfectly executed kick deflected off a Colts player and into a sea of humanity. After what seemed like an eternity, officials finally determined that Saints safety Chris Reis had recovered the onside kick, giving New Orleans possession. The Saints ultimately took the lead on their ensuing drive and went on to win the franchise's first and only championship.
"One of the benefits of winning a Super Bowl, especially as a young person, it gives you a level of confidence that you previously did not have when it comes to life," Morstead said during a recent interview with CBS Sports. "You did something together with a group of men who were all dedicated, all pulling in the same direction. You did something that no one can take it away. It's a lifelong confidence that it gives you.
"It's hard to describe. It's definitely benefitted me throughout the my career to know that in the biggest moments, in the biggest games, you got it done for your team. No matter what you're going through, on or off the field, you have in your mind that you're going to get it done."
Morstead spent 11 more seasons in New Orleans. During that time, he developed into one of the NFL's best punters. He earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2012 and was part of seven playoff teams during the decade. Morstead, who eventually earned the title of special teams captain, was the NFL's highest-paid punter during the decade.
Now 37, Morstead spent the 2022 season with the Miami Dolphins. He averaged 46.4 yards per punt while helping Miami clinch its first playoff berth since 2016. Back in New York, Morstead will look to help the Jets break their own playoff drought, as Gang Green is in pursuit of its first trip to the postseason since 2010.
