The New York Jets are entering the new season with new hopes. They are also restructuring their roster while addressing their QB problems of last season. With Green Bay Packers QB legend Aaron Rodgers joining the team to give them the boost they need in the QB position, the Jets will be looking forward to making themselves a worthy contender for a Super Bowl Championship, something they have not been able to achieve since the days of Joe Namath in 1969.

But Aaron Rodgers is not the only signing the Jets are bringing to New York. Adding more talents like Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and others, the team will be hoping that the experience of these players will pave the way for them in the league. But recently, the Jets have made headlines after their controversial rival in the NFL was seen trying out his luck for them in New York. So who is this controversial rival?

After Aaron Rodgers, Jets try out controversial punter 

During college, punter Matt Araiza was the best in this position. Possessing an incredible leg, Araiza tried his luck in the NFL draft last year. The Buffalo Bills drafted him in the sixth round of the 2022 draft and expected him to make an impact in the NFL. But his journey was cut short after finding himself in the midst of severe allegations and leading to the Bills cutting him off from the team. After a year, Araiza may be getting a second chance in the NFL, as the Jets were reportedly working out the free-agent punter on Wednesday. 

In a recent episode of the Pat McAfee show, the retired punter discussed the life of 23-year-old Araiza. He said that the allegations against him were “incredibly damning and serious, the most serious.”

While the Jets have already recently signed veteran punter Thomas Morstead to the one-year $1.1 million deal, recent reports state that the team is also trying out Araiza, who is also called the ‘punt god’ because of his incredible kicking skills. Despite being drafted by the Bills last year, the 23-year-old did not get the chance to make his rookie appearance in the regular season. Now, Araiza might be getting his chance to make a proper NFL appearance with the Bills’ rival for the new season of the NFL.

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But why was the young punter cut from the Bills last year? What were the severe allegations that Matt Araiza found himself in?

The controversial case of Matt Araiza

While Araiza might have gained a lot of traction with his preseason performance, his regular season appearance was hindered after he was accused in a civil lawsuit that alleged that he was part of a sexual assault on a 17-year-old at a San Diego house party in 2021. With the uproar that followed, the Bills cut off the young punter from their roster. Earlier this month, prosecutors stated that they will not charge the 23-year-old punter, as evidence suggests he was not a part of the alleged assault on the girl. Furthermore, reports also suggest that the intimacy between Araiza and that girl was consensual, so the charges of intimacy with a minor cannot be pursued. While the civil suit remains, Araiza is in the clear at the moment.

With the second chance handed to the punter, it will be interesting to see if the Jets will pair him up with Aaron Rodgers. Araiza will look forward to demonstrating his worth and abilities on the field while hoping for a resurgence of his NFL career after last year’s unfortunate incident.

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