In his 16th NFL season, Thomas Morstead will punt for the New York Jets as well as an off-field charitable endeavor.
Morstead announced the launch of his Punt for ALS campaign aimed at raising awareness for the terminal neurodegenerative disease in honor of his friend Steve Gleason, a former New Orleans Saints safety who has suffered from ALS for nearly 13 years.
The highly-accomplished Morstead spent the first 12 seasons of his NFL career as a Saints specialist. He re-signed with the Jets this past offseason and since made a generous pledge to the Team Gleason Foundation. For every punt that Morstead successfully puts inside the 20-yard line, a $1,000 donation will be made to Gleason's organization.
The Jets punter is guaranteeing a minimum $10,000 contribution. In 2023, Morstead, who was marvelously consistent, placed a career-high 36 punts inside the opponent's 20.
“Steve has given so much of himself to others throughout his life, and it felt like the right time to give back to him by raising awareness for the incredible work he is doing through his non-profit, Team Gleason Foundation,” said Morstead in a press release.
In addition to the courage he's shown through his ongoing health battle, Gleason will always be remembered for his special teams heroics during the first game back at the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. On September 25, 2006, he blocked an Atlanta Falcons punt for a first-quarter touchdown on Monday Night Football.
The 38-year-old Morstead has shown no signs of slowing down. Last season, he punted a league-high 99 times and averaged 48.8 yards per boot.
For more information or to donate, please visit https://teamgleason.org/puntforals/.
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