Xavier Gipson was once a New York Jets hero.
It was the Aaron Rodgers torn Achilles game. The Jets had no business sticking around with the Buffalo Bills. But there they were, in overtime, and there Gipson was, trying to make his name in the NFL, back receiving a punt.
And 65 yards later, Gipson was in the end zone, a walk-off punt return touchdown to begin his career in one of the most memorable moments of the 2023 NFL season.
Two years later, the Jets have cut Gipson and his cape after a brutal mistake.
The news emerged Wednesday morning through multiple reports: Gipson has been let go.
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Why did the Jets cut Xavier Gipson?
The Jets cut Xavier Gipson because of a fumble.
They held a two-point lead on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday when Gipson began to return a kickoff.
He had the ball knocked loose, and the Steelers recovered, and a couple plays later they were in the end zone again for the lead. Pittsburgh went on to win.
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"His fumble on Sunday was a killer mistake," ESPN's Rich Cimini wrote on X. "Aaron Glenn said he wouldn’t tolerate those kind of blunders, and so he makes a statement with this not-so-surprising move."
The Jets will have to replace both their kick and punt returner, but they clearly felt this was a move they had to make to send a message and to avoid such game-killing mistakes in the future.
That Gipson walk-off winner feels like a distant memory now.
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