Matt Araiza set for workout with NFL team

Mar 5, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; San Diego State place kicker Matt Araiza (PK01) talks to the media during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Punter Matt Araiza has an NFL workout lined up, and it could apparently be the first of several.

The New York Jets will host Araiza for a workout on Wednesday. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, it could be “the first of several workouts” for Araiza, who was released by the Buffalo Bills last year over sexual assault allegations.

Would not expect an immediate signing, but this could be the first of several workouts for Matt Araiza. https://t.co/hFYqfLeyx3

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 24, 2023

A highly-touted college punter, Araiza was drafted by the Bills but ultimately released amid troubling allegations and a lawsuit claiming he and several of his former San Diego State teammates gang-raped a 17-year-old woman at an off-campus party in 2021. Araiza maintained his innocence, and the San Diego District Attorney chose not to file charges against him in December, citing insufficient evidence. Last week, the university itself reported that there had been no findings of wrongdoing against Araiza, which is likely a huge factor in NFL teams’ willingness to work him out.

Araiza remains the subject of a civil suit, which is ongoing. However, he appears to have a path back to the NFL unless something new surfaces.