One of the bigger questions that the Green Bay Packers will have to answer this offseason is what to do with kicker Brandon McManus? The veteran kicker was a godsend for Green Bay in 2024 after the Brayden Narveson experiment went off the rails.
McManus made 20-of-21 field goals (95.2 percent) and was perfect 30-for-30 on extra points. But that wasn’t the story for McManus this season as he dealt with injury and was shockingly not reliable from 40-plus yards out (6-of-12).
And then to make matters worse, McManus missed two field goal attempts and one extra point (3-for-4) in the Packers’ wild-card round loss. After a down year, it's not an easy decision to move on from a kicker when you gave them a three-year extension last season.
However, the Packers have seemingly already made up their minds on what they plan on doing next season by inking practice squad kicker Lucas Havrisik to a futures/reserves deal earlier this week.
Green Bay Already Entertaining Lucas Havrisik-Brandon McManus Swap
Havrisik became an instant fan favorite among Packers fans when he made his debut in Week 6 for an injured McManus, going a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points.
Havrisik followed up his stellar Week 6 outing with another terrific performance (2/2 FGs, 3/3 XPs) against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7, which included him making a career-best 61-yard field goal.
The Packers put Havrisik back on the practice squad after that game as McManus was making his way back from injury. However, he got another chance to showcase his skills in Week 11 vs. the New York Giants.
Havrisik didn’t fare well against the Giants as he missed two extra points. But even with that slip-up, it didn’t persuade Green Bay from kicking him to the curb.
Now, he has a chance to take over as the Packers’ starting kicker when the season kicks off in September. As for McManus, Green Bay placed an “out” in his contract for 2026, which they will likely exercise.
According to Spotrac, the Packers would take on a $3.33 million dead cap, which isn’t horrible in the grand scheme of things. McManus is also due a $1 million roster bonus for 2026 that goes into effect on the third day of the new league year.
With that being said, we should expect a decision on McManus in the coming weeks, who should find another opportunity, as there are other teams across the league looking for a veteran kicker.