Roberto

Aguayo

Aguayo was brought in on a reserve/future contract in January but was unable to beat out Nick Folk or Quinn Nordin to secure a place on the roster. Multiple teams have taken a chance on Aguayo but he hasn’t been able to stick with a squad since being waived by the Bucs in 2017. It’s possible that New England will be Aguayo’s final stop in the NFL. Folk is expected to win the starting job and kick for the Patriots this year with Nordin, a rookie from Michigan, destined for the practice squad.

All 10 players finished the year on New England’s practice squad. With Nick Folk scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, the Patriots also notably brought back both Aguayo and Rohrwasser.

In a controversial decision, the Bucs traded up to draft Aguayo in the second round of this year’s draft, making him the earliest kicker to go since Mike Nugent in 2005. So far he’s made just 3-of-5 field goals with misses from 32 and 49 yards out. “I wouldn’t say [I’m] worried,” said coach Dirk Koetter. “But this is the NFL, man. They’re paid to make kicks. He knows it and I know it—everybody knows it.” Aguayo was a three-time All-American at Florida State and should be able to turn things around despite getting off to a sluggish start.

Aguayo is seeking outside help, conversing with longtime NFL K Ryan Longwell, ex-Bucs special teams coach Bill Miller, and a “mental coach.” Aguayo never missed a field goal attempt under 40 yards in college, but has missed from 32 and 49 this summer. Aguayo should be fine, but the early returns on the trade up into the second round by GM Jason Licht aren’t positive.

It comes with a $1.147 million signing bonus. The Lou Groza Award winner as a freshman and a consensus All-American as a sophomore, Aguayo was the premier kicker in the nation throughout his college career. He’ll have to be even better in the NFL to justify the Bucs’ trade up into the second round to grab him.

He was also a perfect 3-for-3 on extra point attempts. Aguayo has had a rough go since the Bucs laughably traded up for him in the second round, so he needed this strong performance to get back on track. It is not Aguayo’s fault the Bucs spent so much to get him, but he will likely have to cope with unrealistic expectations for at least the next several seasons.

“I think [the struggles are mental] and I think he believes that,” Koetter said. “We’ve talked to him. He knows what he has to do.” The best kicker in the nation throughout his college career, a mental block is the only reason for Aguayo to be struggling as much as he is. The embattled kicker missed three more kicks in practice Tuesday, but Koetter said the team is not yet looking to bring in competition.

This was truly a horrific football game. Jameis Winston couldn’t make any difficult throws, missed easy ones on top of it, and forced balls to Mike Evans in double-coverage. The Panthers turned the ball over four times. Aguayo had another nightmare game before getting what should be a confidence boost by nailing the winning kick. Before that, he banged one off the right upright from 33 yards out in the first quarter and missed wide left on a 46-yarder in the fourth frame. Aguayo is now 4-of-8 on field goals this season and 8-of-9 on extra points. If not for his draft status, he likely would have been cut last month.

That’s No. 59 overall pick Roberto Aguayo. It’s an easily-mockable situation, but probably ultimately just coachspeak. Aguayo really settled down as the year progressed before shanking two Week 17 kicks. Barring a camp meltdown, Aguayo will keep his job next year.

“We will do everything we can to bring in the best competition at that position,” said Licht. “I think Dirk [Koetter] even said he’s not locked into this roster.” A 2016 second-round reach, Aguayo is on notice after making just 71 percent of his kicks as a rookie. Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds suggests the Bucs could bring in free agent Steven Hauschka to compete with Aguayo.