The Green Bay Packers made the decision to move on from four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers last season. Of course, this move was made to pave the way for the Jordan Love Era in Green Bay. However, Rodgers was not the only key veteran that the Packers bid farewell to at the end of the 2022 season.
In addition to fan-favorites Marcedes Lewis and Randall Cobb, Green Bay also decided not to re-sign kicker Mason Crosby, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. In his final season with the Packers, Crosby made 86.2% of his field goals and 94.9% of his extra point attempts.
Green Bay decided to replace Crosby with Anders Calson, whom they selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Carlson did not live up to the expectations they had for him last year.
Green Bay Packers Kicker Anders Carlson Struggled in 2023
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
It was apparent from offseason activities and training camp that Carlson was going to struggle in 2023. While his field goal percentage was okay (81.8%), his performance on extra point attempts was atrocious (87.2%).
What is more, Carlson missed at least one kick in 10 of the Packers’ final 12 games, including their two postseason contests. There were quite a few games which Green Bay lost last year that were decided by three points or less. A more reliable kicker would have helped them win at least one or two of those games.
For these reasons, the Packers decided to have a kicker competition this offseason and training camp. Most notably, they brought in former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph, who has been impressive thus far.
Anders Carlson Has Fallen Behind Greg Joseph for the Green Bay Packers Starting Kicker Job
For a while, Carlson and Joseph matched each other kick for kick in training camp. Both kickers were consistently hitting short and mid-range field goals with stunning accuracy. They even both had high percentages on kicks of 50 yards or more.
However, in recent days, Joseph has begun to pull away in the competition as Carlson’s accuracy on longer kicks has started to falter.
On August 1 for example, Carlson was just 3/6 in practice while Joseph was a perfect 6/6. After Green Bay’s Family Night event on August 3, Carlson had made 34/41 of his kicks during training camp. Joseph had made 37/41.
After family night, it was also reported that the Packers were working out a new kicker.
The Green Bay Packers Sign UFL Kicker Jonathan Garibay
According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers are working out Jonathan Garibay, who played for the Arlington Renegades of the UFL last season:
The Packers aren’t done looking at kickers. They’re bringing in Jonathan Garibay for a workout, per source.
He spent last season in the UFL, where he missed only one kick.
He originally signed with the Cowboys in 2022 out of Texas Tech, where he once made a 62-yard GW FG. ⬇️ https://t.co/MZJ5XcJJV9
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 4, 2024
With the Renegades last season, Garibay made 13 of his 14 field goal attempts. His only miss came from 30-39 yards away, a distance range of which he was 7/8. Garibay was 3/3 on kicks from 20-29 yards and 3/3 from 40-49 yards away.
In 2021, his final season at Texas Tech, Garibay made 15 of 16 field goal attempts. He was perfect from 20-49 yards and was 1/2 on kicks of 50 yards or more. The one he made was a 62-yard bomb.
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