NASHVILLE – Nick Folk has built his career on consistency.
Heading into the 2024 season, the veteran kicker carries an all-time NFL-record streak of 78 consecutive field goals from under 40 yards – a streak going back to 2017.
Folk has made 83.8 percent of his kicks during his 16 NFL seasons, and he was near perfect for the Titans in his first season with the team last year.
Folk, along with others, dealt with a shake-up earlier this offseason, with a coaching change.
At least a part of him wondered what it might mean for him.
The Titans ended up re-signing Folk, and he’s glad to be back.
“For me, it’s always been a patient game,” Folk said. “I kind of understand the game, and I understand the business side of it. I was patient with it, and I knew I wanted to play. I told that to Ran (Carthon) at the end of the season, that I wanted to keep playing, that I loved it here.
“I wanted to come back, and I’m excited to be back. Now it’s about getting ready for another season.”
In 2024, all NFL kickers will deal with a new kickoff format. Folk will make the adjustment under a new special teams coordinator in Colt Anderson.
Folk, who will turn 40 in November, said he’s made some adjustments to himself as he’s gotten older as well.
“A lot of it has to do with how I’ve trained, the timing of training, the timing of kicking,” Folk said. “When I was younger, I used to be able to kick a lot, go multiple days in a row, kick a lot more balls. Now I am very rep conscious, if you will. I’ve always kind of been quality over quantity and I know there’s going to be days when I need the quantity, but I still want to make it quality.
“You could maybe look at my technique and say not much has changed, but there are little nuances. You could probably talk to a golfer, and they’d say the same thing. You might not see the changes, but they’re making small, minute changes. And I think a lot of that changes as your body changes. When you get older, maybe you’re not as flexible, the leg is not as lively, so you’re going to have to change some things technically to continue going. So, it is just small, little things … to try to find ways to continue to improve.”
Folk was magnificent for the Titans in 2023, when he made 29-of-30 field goals and 28-of-30 extra point attempts.
At the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, Folk’s career 382 career field goals ranked fourth among active kickers behind only Matt Prater (401), Mason Crosby (400) and Justin Tucker (395), and Folk’s number also ranked 19th in NFL history. His 1,632 total points scored ranked 23rd in league annals.
Among all active NFL players at the conclusion of 2023, Folk’s 228 career games ranked 10th.
The Titans acquired Folk in a trade from the Patriots prior to last season, and he kept his strong career going while kicking in all 17 games. Folk’s first season in the NFL was in 2007, with the Dallas Cowboys. In addition to the Titans, Patriots and Cowboys, he’s also kicked for the Jets, Buccaneers.
In Year 17, Folk aims on being dependable again this fall.
“Just continuing to work, put your head down and refine the craft every day,” he said. “You are going to have ups and downs, and you try and make the good days better than the bad days.
“It’s been a good offseason so far. I feel like I’m kicking pretty well. So, I’m going to keep rolling and keep the rhythm going and get ready for training camp at the end of July. I want to make sure I am working toward Week One of the season so I’m ready to roll then.”