Blake Robert Grupe (; born November 5, 1998) is an American professional football placekicker for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas State Red Wolves and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent after the 2023 NFL draft.
Early life Blake Grupe was born on November 5, 1998. He attended Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia, Missouri, and was a three-sport athlete, playing soccer, baseball and football, although he did not begin playing football until his sophomore year. As a senior, he was named all-state in both football and soccer, setting the school's records for single-season and career field goals made. He committed to play college football for the Arkansas State Red Wolves.
College career As a true freshman at Arkansas State in 2017, Grupe redshirted. The following year, he earned the starting placekicking job in week three and finished the season having converted 14 of 21 attempts, placing seventh in the Sun Belt Conference. In 2019, Grupe made 19 of 22 field goal attempts and was named first-team all-conference as well as a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award as best placekicker nationally; his 110 total points scored set a school record for kickers and was second-best in the conference, additionally being the 13th-best total in the United States.
In 2020, Grupe went 11-of-18 on field goals and made 43 extra points. In his final year at Arkansas State, 2021, he made 20 of 25 field goals and all but one of his 32 extra point attempts. He holds several school records, including career extra points made (162), career field goals made (64) and career points scored (354). Grupe transferred to Notre Dame for his final season of eligibility in 2022. He went 14-of-19 on field goals and made all 49 of his extra point attempts in his lone year with the team.
Professional career
New Orleans Saints After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Grupe was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent. In the first preseason game, he made the game-winning field goal against the Kansas City Chiefs. He competed with veteran Wil Lutz for a spot on the team and won the position battle.
In Week 3 of the 2023 season, Grupe missed a 46-yard go-ahead field goal against the Green Bay Packers, resulting in a Saints loss. In Week 5, Grupe was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after completing four extra points, two 50+ yard field goals, and recording five touchbacks on seven kickoffs in a 34–0 win over the New England Patriots. As a rookie, he converted all 40 extra point attempts and 30 of 37 field goal attempts. In the 2024 season, Grupe converted 31 of 33 extra point attempts and 27 of 31 field goal attempts.
Grupe struggled during the 2025 season, missing a league-high eight field goal attempts through Week 12, including making only 5 of 11 attempts past 40 yards. On November 25, 2025, Grupe was released by the New Orleans Saints.
Indianapolis Colts On December 2, 2025, Grupe signed with the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on December 10. In Week 15, against the Seattle Seahawks, Grupe kicked a go-ahead 60-yard field goal with 40 seconds left, however, the Colts would go on to lose 18–16. Grupe beat the longest field goal in Colts history which was 58 yards, kicked by Dan Miller in 1982.
On March 16, 2026, Grupe re-signed with the Colts on a one-year, $1.4 million contract. He was waived on August 30.
New York Jets On August 31, 2026, Grupe was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets. On September 29, 2026, he was waived and re-signed to the practice squad two days later.
Career statistics NFL Legend Bold Career high
|-style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan="1"|2023 !! NO | 17 || 30 || 37 || 81.1 || 0 || 55 || 40 || 40 || 100 || 91 || 64 || 76 || 130 |- style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan="1"|2024 !! NO | 17 || 27 || 31 || 87.1 || 1 || 57 || 31 || 33 || 93.9 || 78 || 63.8 || 21 || 112 |- ! rowspan="2"|2025 !! NO | 11 || 18 || 26 || 69.2 || 0 || 54 || 15 || 15 || 100 || 43 || 60.7 || 9 || 69 |- ! IND | 5 || 11 || 11 || 100 || 0 || 60 || 10 || 10 || 100 || 27 || 61.4 || 1 || 43 |- ! colspan="2"| Total !! 50 !! 86 !! 105 !! 81.9 !! 1 !! 60 !! 96 !! 98 !! 98.0 !! 239 !! 63.1 !! 107 !! 354
College Year Team GP Overall FGs PATs Total points 2017 Arkansas State 0 2018 Arkansas State 11 47 21 14 66.7 38 35 92.1 77 2019 Arkansas State 13 46 22 19 86.4 54 53 98.1 110 2020 Arkansas State 11 42 18 11 61.1 45 43 95.6 76 2021 Arkansas State 12 50 25 20 80.0 32 31 96.9 91 2022 Notre Dame 13 47 19 14 73.7 49 49 100.0 91Career 60 50 105 78 74.3 218 211 96.8 445
References
External links New York Jets bio Arkansas State Red Wolves bio Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio