Green Bay Packers: Failed Kicker Washes Out of NFL, Signs with Different League
For the better part of 16 seasons, the Green Bay Packers had very little concern when it came to the kicker position on their roster. Mason Crosby had some down years during his illustrious career, but he became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer due to his overall consistency.
Now the Packers have the same kind of confidence in the position as they did when Crosby was on the team having signed Brandon McManus to a three-year contract earlier this offseason.
However, they did not get to this point without going through over a year of uncertainty and disappointment with their kickers.
The Green Bay Packers Saw Anders Carlson and Brayden Narveson Struggle
Following the 2022 NFL season, the Packers made the decision to make some drastic changes to their roster. The most notable of these, of course, was trading future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets so that Jordan Love could take over as the starter under center.
Additionally, Green Bay decided it was time to get younger at the kicker position, opting not to re-sign Crosby and instead selecting Anders Carlson in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft to be their kicker.
But while Love has played well as the Packers starting quarterback, leading the team to back-to-back appearances in the NFL Playoffs, Green Bay did not see the same success from the kicker position.
Carlson made 81.8% of his field goals as a rookie, but only 87.2% of his extra points. After he led the league in missed kicks in 2023, the Packers decided to bring in Greg Joseph to compete with him for the job during training camp in 2024.
