One of the more shocking decisions the Green Bay Packers made heading into the offseason was not instantly parting ways with Brandon McManus. The kicker helped author one of the largest playoff collapses in recent memory as Green Bay had a 21-3 second-half lead on the Bears and fumbled it away. Now, this is a decision that could quickly be reversed with Rich Bisaccia stepping down as Green Bay's special teams coordinator. It isn't a move that Packer fans will be upset with, given the unit's frustrating inconsistencies in the 2025 season.
McManus was the biggest piece of this, with it peaking in the playoff loss, where the veteran missed three kicks. A missed extra point and two botched field goals kept the door firmly ajar for a Chicago Bears comeback win, authoring a loss that should've brought on more impactful offseason changes. Green Bay is now being given a chance to correct this mistake with a coordinator gone who was clearly very loyal to McManus despite his flaws.
In the final month of the regular season, Bisaccia spoke about the kicker and how he appeared to be back to himself. It was clear this was wishful thinking and loyalty speaking over doing what it takes to win. With the coach gone, the very least the Packers can do is bring in competition or look for someone the franchise can fully trust.
Packers Kicker Brandon McManus Clearly In Trouble After Bisaccia's Green Bay Exit
According to Spotrac, if the Packers were to cut McManus after June 1, it would save $2.6 million in cap space and take away the majority of the two years remaining on his deal. This seems a very viable option if the Packers want to forgo bringing in competition and simply cut ties, trying their luck in free agency.
This is a viable path, considering that on the biggest stage, McManus came up small and helped author a disheartening defeat. It isn't the type of loss you can easily shake, and keeping the kicker rostered would guarantee that, come playoff time, fans and coaches wouldn't have the necessary trust in their kicking game. We've seen McManus when the pressure is at its highest, and this performance begged Green Bay to make a change.
With this in mind, the exit of Bisaccia's tenure sets up a move that should've already been made. Taking away one of the kicker's clear defenders should give decision-makers a chance to do the right thing and pull the plug on a fit that is clearly no longer working.