Packers Make Big Change at Kicker

With rookie kicker Brayden Narveson ranked last in the NFL in field-goal percentage, the Packers worked out veteran kicker Brandon McManus and signed him on Tuesday.

Brandon McManus attempts a field goal while with the Denver Broncos against the Green Bay Packers in 2015. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – As first reported by Packers On SI, the Green Bay Packers signed kicker Brandon McManus on Tuesday. 

With rookie Brayden Narveson ranking last in the NFL in field-goal percentage through Week 6, McManus was the most accomplished kicker on the market. They worked him out on Tuesday and signed him to their 53-man roster later in the day.

Presumably, Narveson will be released to clear a roster space and McManus will kick against the Houston Texans on Sunday and his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, a week later.

Last year with Jacksonville, McManus made 81.1 percent of his field-goal attempts – right in line with his 10-year mark of 81.4 percent. He missed five kicks over a five-game span late in the season but finished strong. He was 5-of-10 from 50-plus yards and made all 35 point-after attempts.

In nine years with the Broncos, McManus made 81.4 percent of his field-goal attempts. He has never had a great year; his best marks were 85.7 percent in 2015, 85.3 percent in 2016 and 85.3 percent in 2019. He’s never had a bad year, either. After making 69.2 percent as a rookie in 2014, his only sub-80.0 percent seasons were 75.0 percent in 2017 and 77.8 percent in 2022.

Narveson is 12-of-17 on field goals this season, with his latest miss coming in Sunday’s victory over the Cardinals. After the game, coach Matt LaFleur said he still had confidence in Narveson.

On Monday, he said, “I wouldn’t say that right now,” when asked if the team was considering a change.

Of course, LaFleur is not in charge of personnel. That falls on general manager Brian Gutekunst, who came to the realization that he can't wait forever on a talented young kicker with a roster that is ready to compete for a Super Bowl.

A week earlier, Narveson appeared to have turned a corner. He made his only field-goal attempt and all three extra points in a win at the Rams. Coupled with strong performances at practice, the Packers had continued to stick with the rookie who has abundant leg strength and confidence but a penchant for pushing his kicks to the right.

“I thought he came back and had a good game,” special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said on Thursday. “We talked about it last week, had a real good week of practice last week. I think he made some adjustments and some of the things he needed to fix and, obviously, had a good game. Big kick before the half. Thought he did a good job handling the timeouts. We called the timeout, and then he got set to go, and they called a timeout. Did a good job handling that.

“He’s had another good week, had a good day yesterday; it was a competitive day. Coach LaFleur I thought did a great job putting him in some different team situations, different pressure kicks. So, he’s responded well.”

But not well enough, with consistently inconsistent not being a recipe for job security for a young kicker.

In the Broncos’ march to a Super Bowl championship in 2015, McManus made 10-of-10 field goals in three playoff games – including a playoff-record five field goals against Pittsburgh and three field goals in the Super Bowl.

The 33-year-old has a strong leg, with a career mark of 45-of-82 from 50-plus yards (54.9 percent) with a long of 61 yards in 2021, with the caveat that he spent half of his seasons kicking in the Mile High City.

Teams have been awaiting clarity on his status due to off-the-field questions. However, on Sept. 30, the NFL “found insufficient evidence” that McManus violated the NFL’s personal-conduct policy.

He had been accused by two women of sexual assault during the Jaguars’ flight to London last season.

The Washington Commanders, who had signed him to a one-year, $3.6 million deal during free agency, released him in June.

While the NFL’s ruling paved the way for McManus to sign with a team, the contract language probably was more complicated than just a standard one-year contract worth X dollars. With that out of the way, McManus is back in the league and the Packers hope they have a reliable kicker since Mason Crosby made 86.2 percent of his attempts in 2022 but was let go because of declining leg strength.

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