The Green Bay Packers have a lot going their way heading into their Week 9 matchup with the Carolina Panthers, and that includes their kicker situation. The Packers welcomed Brandon McManus back to the field in their Week 8 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but made the strange decision to keep Lucas Havrisik on the active roster, giving Green Bay two kickers in the victory.
Most teams don’t keep two active kickers on gameday, so it made many wonder what exactly the Packers are planning. While some believe McManus’s return (and the lack of setbacks surrounding it) may persuade Green Bay to cut Havrisik, head coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t ready to give out any hints of what they may do.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, LaFleur noted that McManus “looked good” kicking during Wednesday’s practice. When he turned his attention to Havrisik, he said “I’ll let Gutey handle that,” referring to Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and deflecting attention away from what’s become one of Green Bay’s biggest mysteries this season.
Matt LaFleur Keeping Quiet as Packers Weigh Kicker Decision
McManus began this season as the Packers’ kicker but didn’t have the same success he had when he took over for Brayden Narveson last season. After making 20-of-21 (95.2%) field goals and all 30 extra points in 11 games last season, McManus connected on just 7-of-9 (77.8%) of his field goals and 11-of-12 (91.7%) extra points over the first four games.
After coming out of the bye week with a quad injury, the Packers signed Havrisik, who immediately had a strong performance, making all four field goals and all six extra points in the two games McManus missed due to his injury. One of those included a franchise-record 61-yard field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals and made some fans rethink the way the Packers were approaching the position.
McManus returned from injury last week but continued to struggle, going 2-for-4 on field goals but making all three extra points. While it would be easy for the Packers to let McManus walk, they may also have an issue fully giving the keys to Havrisik, who was a career 75% kicker before signing two weeks ago.
This seems like a problem for the Packers, but it could turn into their benefit. Most teams have trouble finding one good kicker, and with two residing in Green Bay, the surplus could turn into a surprise trade at next week’s deadline. It’s also possible the Packers will give McManus one last chance to regain his 2024 form before fully committing to Havrisik.
Whatever they’re thinking, LaFleur isn’t showing it, and teams will have to figure out what the Packers are doing as the deadline approaches.