Packers Sign Kicker Jack Podlesny in Wake of Anders Carlson’s Key Miss vs. 49ers

A kicker competition is brewing in Green Bay.

The Green Bay Packers signed kicker Jack Podlesny, a rookie free agent, to their offseason 90-man roster on Wednesday, the team announced.

Less than a week after Anders Carlson’s crushing 41-yard miss in the Packers’ 24—21 divisional-round playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a new leg is coming to Wisconsin.

Podlesny, pronounced pod-LEZ-knee, is a first-year player who initially signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted rookie but was released last summer.

Podlesny, a two-time national champion at Georgia, will compete against Carlson, a 2023 sixth-round pick from Auburn, for the starting spot in 2024.

Whereas Carlson led the NFL in missed extra-point attempts and finished with at least one missed kick in 10 of the Packers’ past 12 games (including the playoffs), Podlesny will have a clean slate in Green Bay.

The Green Bay Packers have signed former Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny to compete with incumbent Anders Carlson :: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY

The former Bulldog made 60 of 73 field goals (82.2%) and 182 of 184 extra-point attempts (98.9%) over three seasons at Georgia, earning first-team All-SEC honors in his final year.

Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who recently made headlines for a comment about Carlson that reportedly was taken out of context, addressed his team’s kicker situation in an end-of-season press conference.

“We want competition at every position, so we're always going to bring in competition,” LaFleur said Monday. “I’m a firm believer that competition brings out the best in one another.”