Packers release veteran kicker Brandon McManus, AP source says
Veteran kicker Brandon McManus was released by the Green Bay Packers two weeks after they drafted his potential replacement, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the move hadn’t been announced. ESPN first reported that McManus had been released.
Green Bay became the only team to draft a kicker last month when it took Florida’s Trey Smack in the sixth round. The Packers traded away two seventh-round picks to get Smack with the 216th selection. McManus, 34, went 44 of 51 on field-goal attempts and was 6 of 8 from at least 50 yards out during the regular season in his two years with the Packers.
He missed two field goals and an extra-point attempt in Green Bay’s 31-27 NFC wild-card playoff loss at Chicago. He has made 82% of his field-goal attempts during a 12-year career that also included stints with the Denver Broncos (2014-22) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2023). The Packers signed McManus in October 2024 to replace struggling rookie Brayden Narveson.
Now they’re potentially going to count on another rookie to take over for McManus, though kicker Lucas Havrisik also is on Green Bay's roster. McManus’ Green Bay tenure couldn’t have started any better. He delivered game-winning field goals as time expired in each of his first two games with the Packers, making a 45-yarder to beat the Houston Texans 24-22 and a 24-yarder to end a 30-27 victory at Jacksonville.
He went 20 of 21 on field-goal attempts and 30 of 30 on extra points during the 2024 regular season. McManus missed a 38-yard field goal and made a 26-yarder in a 22-10 wild-card playoff loss at Philadelphia. His 2024 performance earned McManus a three-year, $15.