Potential landing spots for Brandon McManus after Packers release
The Green Bay Packers are making a big change at the kicker position and Brandon McManus will not be their starter once again in 2026. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers are cutting ties with McManus after two seasons with the team. The move comes just one offseason after the Packers extended McManus on a three-year, $15 million deal.
The reasons behind the move are very clear: McManus struggled both in the regular season and playoffs in 2025 and simply wasn’t worth what Green Bay was paying him. Despite his struggles last season, McManus figures to draw interest from kicker-needy teams looking to add competition to their offseason roster. Here’s a look at three squads that could give McManus a call.
Las Vegas Raiders Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak speaks at introductory press conference at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Las Vegas Raiders parted ways with long-time veteran kicker Daniel Carlson this offseason after he struggled in 2025. Now, the Raiders are having a competition that includes veteran journeyman Matt Gay and Kansei “Tokyo Toe” Matsuzawa , an undrafted rookie who played at Hawaii.
Safe to say, the Raiders should be looking to add more competition to that room. Buffalo Bills Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The Buffalo Bills saw Tyler Bass miss the entire 2025 campaign due to injury.
Buffalo was fortunate to land Matt Prater, who offered stability and prevented the Bills from having a disastrous situation at kicker. Even before his injury, Bass had been struggling in the two years prior, as he missed 10 field goals and six extra points in that span, including five missed PATs in 2024. Bass’ only form of competition right now is Maddux Trujillo, who has never played an NFL snap.