This time last year, the Green Bay Packers were in the midst of a kicker battle as they didn’t know if Anders Carlson or Greg Joseph would be the starter. Well, as things played out, it was neither of those guys, as the Packers went outside the organization.
Brayden Narveson got the first opportunity at the starting job, but was inconsistent, which led the Packers to sign Brandon McManus, who stabilized their special teams unit for the rest of the 2024 season. Green Bay re-signed McManus this offseason, giving them one less thing to worry about.
However, the Pack still wanted to roster another kicker for camp, so they brought in Irish kicker Mark McNamee, who is their designated IPP program player after Alex Hale was sent packing before camp due to a freak injury.
McNamee didn’t kick in the Packers’ first preseason game, so Monday’s practice represented his first time kicking with the club. His debut left a lot to be desired, but as an IPP program guy, the Packers have time to work with him.
McNamee 2/3 on his next set. Hits from 41 and 43 before going wide left from 45. Now 4/6 on the day.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 11, 2025
Mark McNamee Has Room for Improvement After First Training Camp Practice
According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, McNamee went 2-for-3 in his first period practice kicks, making them 33 and 37 yards out. His lone miss was from 39 yards as it went wide right, but he had a high snap.
However, the Irish kicker redeemed himself as he was tested from 40-plus yards out. He made field goals from 41 and 46 yards away, but then missed a kick wide left from 45 yards.
Given that the Packers have McManus, fans shouldn’t be worried about McNamee with his two misses. That said, it will be interesting to see if Green Bay will get him in this week’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported that McNamee didn’t get visa clearance until this weekend, so with a week of practices, maybe head coach Matt LaFleur and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia take a chance on getting McNamee in the game.
It doesn’t hurt to see what you have in the IPP program player. McNamee doesn’t count towards your practice squad as holding one of the 16 official spots, so anything positive could be a future piece down the road.