Tom Brady’s status as both a Michigan Wolverines and New England Patriots player means the two organizations are forever linked. But one former Michigan standout won’t get a chance to become the next great Wolverine-turned-Patriot.
On Friday, the Patriots announced that they have signed veteran kicker Tristan Vizcaino to a contract. In a corresponding move, they released former Michigan kicker Quinn Nordin.
The 23-year-old kicker was heading into his second year with the Patriots. He joined them as an undrafted free agent in 2021 and initially won the starting job for the 2021 season.
But an abdomen injury kept him off the field for Week 1. After veteran kicker Nick Folk came in and started playing well, Nordin never saw the field that season.
Now he’s lost his roster spot altogether.
As a kicker at Michigan, Nordin proved to have one of the strongest legs in school history. He was the first player in school history to hit multiple 50+ yard field goals in a game.
Nordin went on to set a Michigan record for field goals over 40 yards with 14 of them. He tied the Michigan record for longest field goal with a 57-yarder against Alabama in the 2020 Citrus Bowl.
But accuracy was a bit of a problem for Nordin in college. He converted just 72.4-percent of his field goals and 96.0-percent of his extra points.
Will Quinn Nordin find a new team somewhere else?