The Green Bay Packers made some major changes to their roster prior to the 2023 NFL season. Of course, the most noteworthy of these was trading four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in order to make way for Jordan Love to take over as the starting quarterback. Fortunately for the Packers, Love turned out to be as good as they believed he could be. Last week, he became the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history when Green Bay offered him a new contract extension.
However, not all of the decisions that the Packers made in regard to replacing older players with younger ones worked out as well as the quarterback situation. In addition to trading Rodgers, the Packers also decided not to re-sign the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, kicker Mason Crosby.
In Crosby’s place, Green Bay chose Anders Carlson, whom they selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Many draft experts did not believe Carlson would have been drafted, and that if the Packers really wanted him, they could have signed him after the draft.
It was soon apparent why that was their belief.
Green Bay Packers Kicker Anders Carlson Struggled in 2023
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
From early on in OTA’s and training camp, it was clear that the 2023 NFL season was going to be a roller coaster for the Packers. But while Love and his group of first and second-year pass catchers eventually found their groove, Carlson did not.
Unlike the offense, Carlson got off to a solid start in 2023. Through the team’s first give games, Carlson made every single one of his 10 extra point attempts and all seven of his field goal attempts.
But from Week Six on, no one could accurately predict what Carlson’s kicks were going to do. From that time until the end of the season, he made just 82.8% of his extra points and 76.9% of his field goals. Including the postseason, he missed at least one kick in 10 of his last 12 games of the year.
Carlson ended his rookie season with a field goal percentage of 81.8% and an extra point percentage of 87.2%.
Neither number is acceptable, and Green Bay decided to bring in some competition for the starting kicker job this summer.
Green Bay Packers Kickers Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph Are Neck-and-Neck So Far in Training Camp
The Packers have brought in multiple kickers over the course of their offseason workouts, but now the race is down to just two: Carlson and former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph.
According to Ryan Wood of USA Today, both kickers are having very strong camps thus far:
Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph open today’s practice 3-3, each making from XP, 38M, 48M.#Packers kicking battle is down to them after James Turner was released. Neither blinking yet. Both currently 19-21 in camp.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) July 30, 2024
As one can see, Carlson and Joseph have each attempted 21 kicks and have made 19 of them. One would think that if they remain neck-and-neck all through camp and the preseason, Carlson will get the edge because of his rookie contract.
However, if Carlson faulters even a little, Joseph is proving that he is a viable option for Green Bay at kicker.
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