Greg Joseph Lands a New Role
When the Minnesota Vikings finished the 2022 campaign with a shocking 13-4 record after pulling off numerous one-score victories, one unsung hero was kicker Greg Joseph. He stayed in the potentially cursed role as Minnesota’s placekicker through the 2023 season and has now secured a new gig.
Greg Joseph Lands a New Role
Joseph, now 30 years old, is moving on to the San Francisco 49ers, his agent Brett Tessler announced via social media, and he made sure to include one sweet tidbit.
“The San Francisco 49ers just added my client Greg Joseph (K, FAU) to their kicking competition. 8-year vet is signing a 1-yr deal. Holds NFL record for most game-winning field goals in a season.”
The NFC West franchise welcomes the experienced kicker on a one-year contract.
Competition
Joseph won’t be handed the job; in fact, he has to compete with 2023 third-rounder Jake Moody.
Moody struggled last season, hitting only 24 of 34 field goal attempts, a horrendous rate for any kicker, let alone a former significant draft choice. In his rookie season, he went 21 of 25. At least his extra points rate is high, hitting 92 of 94 throughout the last two campaigns.
Kyle Madson, Niners Wire, wrote about the new addition: “Joseph should provide legitimate competition for Moody. In the 2023 offseason the 49ers acquired Zane Gonzalez in a trade with the Carolina Panthers, but there was never a real competition between Gonzalez and Moody. This year will be different after Moody made only 24 of his 34 attempts. The 70.6 percent made FG rate was the lowest by a kicker with at least 34 attempts since 2012.”
Stint with Vikings
The Vikings hired Joseph in the 2021 offseason, replacing Dan Bailey, one of the most accurate kickers of all time, who unfortunately came to the Vikings after falling off a cliff.
Joseph’s stint didn’t start well at all because he missed a game-winning 37-yarder against the Cardinals in only his second contest with the club. A few weeks later, he drilled a 54-yard game-winner against the Lions.
In three seasons with the Vikings, Joseph appeared in 51 games, hitting 83 of 101 field goals and 112 of 124 extra points. The latter was a major concern for a while. He still holds the record for the longest field goal in the franchise’s history, a 61-yard game-winner against the New York Giants on Christmas Eve in 2022.
The Vikings then moved on after the 2023 season and drafted Will Reichard in 2024. He was never an elite kicker by any means, but he was nearly unbeatable in high-leverage moments.
Career
The South African Joseph was an undrafted rookie in 2018 out of Florida Atlantic. His NFL journey has been quite eventful, starting with the Dolphins. When he failed to make the 53-man roster, the Browns signed him, and he held the kicker duties for most of the 2018 season.
In the following offseason, the Browns said goodbye, and Joseph signed with Carolina’s practice squad. The contending Titans signed him towards the end of the 2019 season, and he even scored in the AFC Championship game.
Once again, he was released after the preseason in 2020, and he had a stint with the Buccaneers in their Super Bowl-winning 2020 season, but he was primarily stashed on the practice squad. After the season, the Vikings called.
When the Vikings didn’t extend his contract last offseason, he signed with the Packers but was released in August. The Lions signed him to the practice squad, but a week later, the Giants were looking for a kicker. He also spent a few weeks in 2024 with the Commanders and Jets.
In 75 career games, Joseph has made 116 of 141 field goals and 157 of 173 extra points. He has already kicked for six different franchises.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.