From scanning LinkedIn for jobs to earning a spot on the Patriots’ 53-man roster, Quinn Nordin found a new way to fill his resume.
After getting the call to show up to New England’s training camp, the undrafted rookie kicker won the second-most significant position battle in training camp, earning the starting job over veteran Nick Folk.
The 23-year-old Michigan graduate originally waited four days following the NFL Draft for a call from any team. During that time, he began contemplating his future. As he awaited a team showing interest, Nordin explored his LinkedIn account for jobs. He also contemplated military service.
Nordin signed with the Patriots on May 5. He went 6 for 8 on field goal attempts with a long of 50 yards, and 4 for 7 on extra point attempts in New England’s three preseason games. Although the rookie struggled with consistency, special teams coordinator Cam Achord expressed confidence in him.
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“He’s really shown (an ability to) bounce back. He was really competitive,” Achord told the Boston Herald. “Obviously, it was a great competition throughout that. He’s got to continue to improve that consistency and keep showing it, but definitely being able to bounce back — he had the one rough outing and then came back and had a solid performance the other day. That’s the big thing: you continue to get better.”
Nordin kicked in only four games last fall for the Wolverines, and while he connected on all 12 of his PATs, he was just 2 for 5 on field goal attempts. Folk was one of the top kickers in the NFL in 2020, making 26 of his 28 field goal attempts and going 30 for 33 on PATs. He kicked two game-winning field goals, against the Jets and the Cardinals.
But Folk reportedly was dealing with an injury throughout most of camp and attempted just one field goal in the preseason, a 41-yarder he made Sunday against the Giants. Nordin ultimately beat him out and will now be responsible for the Patriots’ kicking duties.