In the wake of Green Bay’s decision to select Trey Smack late in the draft, a kicker competition between he and veteran Brandon McManus seemed to be in store. That will not be the case, however.
The Packers are releasing McManus, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This move certainly increases the chances of Smack winning the kicker job during training camp. Green Bay does still have Lucas Havrisik in the fold at this time as well, though.
McManus missed only one kick during 11 games with Green Bay in 2024. That strong showing landed him a three-year, $15.3MM deal last offseason. McManus enjoyed another strong showing during the regular season last year, but his outing in the wild-card round left plenty to be desired. Two missed field goals and one wayward extra point attempt loomed large in a four-point Packers loss to the Bears.
That performance led to questions about Green Bay potentially making a change at the position. With Smack now in the fold, the team will indeed move on. Today’s release comes well after McManus had already been paid a $1MM roster bonus. The other guaranteed money remaining on his deal means this cut will produce a dead money charge of $4.33MM and just $945K in cap savings.
McManus served as the Broncos’ kicker from 2014-22. His Denver release resulted in a free agent deal with the Jaguars, but he only wound up spending one year with Jacksonville. An agreement with the Commanders was reached in 2025, but allegations of sexual assault dating back to his Jags tenure resulted in Washington moving on. McManus was not suspended, and he managed to find a new home in Green Bay. Now, though, the 34-year-old will find himself on the move once again.
Most teams have an established kicker in place or at least multiple options this late in the offseason. That could result in a lengthy spell on the open market for McManus. In any case, he will aim to parlay his experience into a new opportunity no later than the start of training camp this summer.
This was likely after they drafted Smack, but even more inevitable after they signed Tyrod Taylor. Gutenkunst wasn’t going to add a player over 30 to his roster without subtracting one.
Give me a chance to talk some smack about the Packers K anyway. Always fun.
weird timing considering they already paid McManus the $1 million roster bonus. could have easily kept him around to compete during training camp. only thing I can think of is that they’re confident in Smack and don’t want the pressure of a competition during camp. now he can just go out and focus on his job without all of the drama and media surrounding a kicker competition.