NFL star was searching for jobs online before linking up with Patriots – Ladders

Not long before his NFL debut on Sunday, New England Patriots kicker Quinn Nordin was thinking about a different career path.

Despite being a highly touted recruit who went on to kick for the University of Michigan, the former Wolverine was jobless. Nordin was passed over in the 2021 draft and found himself in the same boat as almost any other recent college graduate.

He was looking for jobs outside of football.

He almost became a power-washer

“I waited four days,” Nordin said in August. “I was on LinkedIn looking at jobs. I was thinking of maybe going into the military. The Patriots were my only call.”

Nordin, 23, became desperate. Though he had a bachelor’s degree in general studies, he searched online for jobs using keywords like “what to do after college” and even thought about manual labor. His LinkedIn profile, which is still up, described him as a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in social work.

“Literally, I think it was two days after [the draft], my dad needed the deck power-washed,” he said. “All my buddies had signed with teams, and I was like, ‘You know what, I could rent this power washer and I could power-wash decks in the neighborhood.’ But I wanted to give [the NFL] a shot. This is every kid’s, person’s dream to get a chance to play for the New England Patriots.”

Fortunately for Nordin, the Patriots came calling.

NFL teams are allowed to have 53 players on their roster, but only 46 can dress for a game. A team typically carries only one kicker and one punter, since those positions don’t require backups in case of injury or different play schemes.

So Nordin came into the Patriots camp competing with Nick Folk, 36, who’s been in the league since 2007. Kickers typically don’t have the longest shelf life in football, but Folk has been one of the most consistent kickers since joining the league, boasting a career 81.4 field goal percentage.

Luck was on Nordin’s side

The odds of unseating a veteran kicker tend to be minuscule, but an injured Folk didn’t participate for most of training camp, which left a door open for Nordin.

Despite hitting only 10 of 15 in field goals and extra points combined in the preseason, the rookie kicker showed enough improvement to convince the Pats to name him their starter. Nordin’s been heralded for his ability to hit from long distance. He is Michigan’s all-time leader, with 14 career field goals of 40-plus yards.

Nordin signed a standard three-year rookie contract earlier this year. After making the Patriots roster, he will also get a decent pay raise, earning $660,000 this season. His first game is on Sunday, when the Patriots host the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium at 4:25 p.m. Eastern time.

Sure sounds a lot better than power-washing decks in the fall.

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