The New York Giants are releasing kicker Aldrick Rosas from his contract after he was arrested for an alleged hit-and-run last month, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan on Sunday.
Earlier this month, the 25-year-old was formally charged with three misdemeanors: Reckless driving on a highway, hit-and-run property damage, and driving with a suspended license.
The incident in question took place on June 15 when Rosas was seen driving erratically in a black Chevrolet SUV at approximately 100 mph. He failed to stop at a red light and t-boned a pickup truck at an intersection. He subsequently fled from the scene.
After police arrived on the scene, they found Rosas walking near the struck vehicle with blood on his hands, legs, and bare feet. After being questioned, he admitted that he owned the SUV.
It is still unknown if Rosas was drunk despite police determining that he had been drinking because a breathalyzer was not administered in a timely manner.
Rosas had been the Giants’ starting kicker since 2017, making 62-of-75 field-goal attempts in his NFL career. He was selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl after hitting 32-of-33 attempts.
Despite his unsure roster spot, Rosas was originally planning to join the Giants at training camp, which will now begin on Tuesday without him.
In a corresponding move later on Sunday, the Giants reportedly brought on kicker Chandler Catanzaro pending a physical to replace Rosas, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The 29-year-old did not appear in a regular-season NFL game last season. He joined the Jets prior to the 2019 season but announced his retirement less than a month before Week 1 after missing two extra-point attempts against the Giants.
Last week, the Jets released Catanzaro from their reserve/left-squad list.
Catanzaro played five seasons in the NFL, three with the Arizona Cardinals before a one-year stint with the Jets in 2017. In 2018, he appeared with both the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In 77 career games, Catanzaro made 119 of 142 field-goal attempts (83.8%) with a long kick of 60 yards. He is 10 of 16 from 50-plus yards out (62.5%) and is 182 of 196 on extra-point tries (92.9%).
