The Green Bay Packers' kicking situation has captured fans' attention early this NFL offseason.
It's no secret that Brandon McManus left much to be desired on the Packers' special teams unit last season. Between an uninspiring 80.0% field-goal completion rate and a knack for struggling with kickoff placement, McManus gave Green Bay every reason to turn the page, and ST coordinator Rich Bisaccia's exit only furthered the desire for change.
With McManus proving to be an unreliable leg, some Packers fans floated the idea of general manager Brian Gutekunst pursuing Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey. Slated to become a restricted free agent next week, combine with some drama in the Lone Star State, Aubrey's availability seemed to be the perfect excuse to upgrade from McManus.
Unfortunately, the effort required to bring Aubrey to Titletown likely won't be worth the effort. On Saturday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Cowboys have hit their RFA kicker with "the second-round, $5.76 million tender."
"Aubrey now can sign an offer sheet with another team that the Cowboys would have the right to match. If they don’t, they would get back a second-round pick."Adam Schefter, ESPN
Packers Can't Afford to Pay Price to Land Brandon Aubrey
If Aubrey were an unrestricted free agent, it'd be much easier for the Packers to consider a signing. However, with a second-round pick needing to be sent to the Cowboys (assuming they don't match), things become a lot more complicated.
After all, do the Packers want to give the Cowboys another draft pick? They already sent a pair of first-rounders to Dallas in last offseason's Micah Parsons trade, and the last thing general manager Brian Gutekunst should want is for the Cowboys to own their top picks for the foreseeable future.
On top of that, the Packers likely don't want to spend more money than they have to on their kicking unit.
Potentially releasing McManus will hit Green Bay with a dead cap hit of as little as $1.6 million and as much as $4.3 million, according to Spotrac. Although that isn't a mammoth figure, it looks less attractive when combined with the salary Aubrey is searching for, as experts like ESPN's Todd Archer report he could be looking for "closer to $10 million per year."
With only $4.3 million in cap space remaining, per OverTheCap, the Packers clearly can't afford to spend double-digit figures on two kickers. They're better off sticking with McManus and finding another option in the 2026 NFL draft, or forcing him into another competition with Lukas Havrisik.
The Packers might also be willing to see what new special teams coordinator Cam Achord can get out of McManus, and if he has a better idea of how to solve the 34-year-old kicker's issues than Bisaccia did.
Aubrey would be an instant upgrade over McManus, but some things aren't meant to be. The Packers must look forward as the offseason continues, hoping that McManus can rediscover his groove until a better (and more affordable) option emerges.