Roberto Aguayo could be in danger of losing his job as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ placekicker a year after the team moved up in the draft to select the kicker in the second round.
Not only did the Bucs sign Nick Folk for $750,000 guaranteed to bring some competition at the position, but The Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud says Folk was also better with some kicks during the week.
According to Stroud:
Aguayo made 1 of 4 field-goals Tuesday on the narrow goalposts (8½ feet wide instead of the regulation 18½ feet), then connected on 4 of 5 from 35-40 yards on the regulation-sized uprights Thursday. Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Folk was 9-for-9 from the same distance.
As a rookie last season, Aguayo was just 22 of 31 (71 percent) with a long of 43. He also missed two extra points. All the extra scrutiny caused by the Bucs trading up to get him seemed to affect Aguayo mentally, leading to misses early in the season.
Folk is a career 81.3 percent kicker. He made 27 of 31 kicks (87.1 percent) last season with a long of 51. He also missed two extra points.
Stroud believes it’s “hard to imagine” what Aguayo will have to do to keep the job.
