The Green Bay Packers seem to have found the answer to their kicking troubles. A year and a half after the team decided not to bring back the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Mason Crosby, Brandon McManus seems to have brought a feeling of confidence that the Packers have been lacking in that area. In two games with the team, he has kicked two game-winning field goals.
Of course, McManus’ arrival in Green Bay was the result of two painful experiments in which Green Bay attempted to replace Crosby with a pair of rookie kickers.
The Green Bay Packers Moved on from Anders Carlson and Brayden Narveson (and Greg Joseph)
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
When the Packers first decided to move on from Crosby, they selected Anders Carlson in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft to replace him. The decision was unpopular to begin with and drafting a kicker that many predicted who go undrafted did nothing to make fans feel any better about it.
What was worse, at least in hindsight, was that Green Bay did not bring in any other kickers to compete with Carlson. The job was his.
Unfortunately, he did not reward their faith in him.
In his lone season with the Packers, Carlson led the NFL in missed kicks while making 81.8% of his field goals and just 87.2% of his extra points. Green Bay brought in Greg Joseph to compete with Carlson in training camp this year, but neither performed very well at all. As a result, both were cut.
Both have also been picked up by teams that have seen their starting kickers suffer injuries and miss time. Joseph plays for the New York Giants and has made 81.43% of his field goals (and all his extra points). Carlson has kicked for the San Francisco 49ers in their last two games, making all five of his field goals (including a 55-yarder) and three of four extra points.
Of course, the Packers chose Brayden Narveson over both of them going into the season. And while Narveson was reliable on extra points (something Carlson was/is not), he only made 70.6% of his field goals.
McManus was signed to replace Narveson after six weeks, and now the undrafted rookie may be looking to team up with a few other former Packers.
Green Bay Packers Fans React to Brayden Narveson Working Out with the New York Jets
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Narveson has not been picked up by any other NFL team yet, but he did work out for the Buffalo Bills last week. Now, news has broken that he has also worked out for the New York Jets, a team that boasts more than a few former Packers on its roster.
Packers fans all had similar responses to the news:
Can’t make this up lmao https://t.co/CpF5h6cmSI
— Sam Dekker (@dekker) October 29, 2024
The joke writes itself. https://t.co/IM6su5TCjD pic.twitter.com/W8qWltsePP
— r/GreenBayPackers (@redditPackers) October 29, 2024
Come on man 😂 https://t.co/ybbYMgg0u5
— Malik Willis HOF (@Ferd_Turgeson) October 29, 2024
Packers East https://t.co/pdOU8g5ZP8
— Haji Moses dudes rock (@HajiMoses3) October 29, 2024
What 😂😂😂😂😂 https://t.co/E9KXGXXod5
— Miranda Marie (@MirdaSheWrote) October 29, 2024
Of course, Narveson did not play with any of the other former Packers on the Jets roster. However, it is still humorous, at least to fans, that so many of Green Bay’s former players have found their way to New York over the last two years.
In this case, though, Narveson is not there to reunite with Aaron Rodgers. Instead, he is there because Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein is having a rough season. He has made just 60.0% of his field goals and 92.9% of his extra points.
New York also placed Zuerlein on their injury report today with a left knee injury.
Narveson was not the only kicker to be given a workout, but he does have a shot.
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