Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed he wants veteran kicker Brandon McManus back in Green Bay in 2025.
McManus, who turns 34 years old in July, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent when his contract expires in March.
In his season-ending press conference Thursday, Gutekunst didn’t hide his desire to re-sign the veteran specialist after he fixed the team’s lingering problem at kicker in the post-Mason Crosby era.
“We would,” Gutekunst said when asked if the Packers want McManus back next year. “Had a good conversation with him before he left. Obviously, how he solidified that journey (at kicker) we were going on. He’s a veteran guy. The thing that was so neat about being around him was not only his confidence, but his ability to adjust, no matter where we were, what weather we had.”
Signed to a one-year deal on Oct. 15, McManus made 20-of-21 field goals and all 30 extra points for the Packers during the regular season. He did miss a 38-yard field goal in Philadelphia during Sunday’s postseason defeat.
Despite the disappointing finish, McManus still made two game-winning field goals and connected on all three of his kicks over 50 yards, including a go-ahead 55-yarder in frigid temps at Lambeau Field in the season finale.
Gutekunst said he’d be confident in the specialist group if McManus returns with punter Daniel Whelan in 2025.
“If we were able to get Brandon back, it would make me feel very, very good about that group,” Gutekunst said.
McManus ended a wild ride at kicker for the Packers over the last two seasons. Anders Carlson, a sixth-round pick in 2023, replaced Crosby, the team’s all-time leader in field goals and points. But Carlson struggled as a rookie and missed a crucial kick in the postseason, so the Packers added Greg Joseph for offseason competition. Neither Carlson nor Joseph won the kicking job outright coming out of training camp, so the Packers rolled the dice with rookie Brayden Narveson, who ended up missing five of his first 17 kicks before the Packers made the change to McManus in October.
McManus made 95.2 percent of his field goals in 2024, a career high. He just finished his 11th NFL season — his first in Green Bay after nine in Denver and one in Jacksonville. His career field goal percentage is 82.2, but he’s missed only 22 career kicks inside 50 yards and just nine extra points during his career.
