In Finding a New Kicker, Brian Gutekunst Has Learned from Last Season's Mistake

The Green Bay Packers have made another change at kicker.

As reported by Bill Huber of Packers on SI , the Green Bay Packers signed veteran Brandon McManus on Tuesday to replace the struggling Brayden Narveson.

Last season, the Packers did not change kickers. They watched Anders Carlson start the season strong, before floundering at the end of the season.

As Carlson's missed kicks piled up, the Packers were steadfast in their belief in him.

Call it patience. Call it delusion.

The reality was the Packers were not making a change at kicker.

If there were any confirmation needed in that regard, it was provided the week the Packers were set to take on the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Rich Bisaccia would not take questions about changing kickers.

Predictably, Carlson missed a field goal in the playoffs, and the Packers' season was sunk.

After ignoring a problem all season, the Packers attacked the issue at kicker with numbers.

They brought in four different kickers during the offseason.

None of them ended up making the final roster.

Carlson struggled in camp. Greg Joseph did not do anything to win the job.

Eventually, the revolving door at kicker landed on Brayden Narveson when the Packers claimed him after training camp ended.

Once Narveson was added, the writing was on the wall for Joseph. He was released once the Narveson transaction was official.

When the kicker transaction was made, Gutekunst was asked about about it in his post-training  camp media availability.

He wanted to preach patience, both to the fanbase, and himself.

"I'm probably not as patient as I should be with specialists," Gutekunst said.

He went on to discuss the struggles that Mason Crosby had before Gutekunst became the General Manager, and how the front office would discuss replacing him every week.

The Packers didn't, and it paid off for the most part.

The Packers did not replace Anders Carlson last season, and it bit them.

This year, despite preaching patience, Carlson's replacement got a six-week trial.

Brayden Narveson was ranked last in the NFL in terms of kicking percentage.

Through six games, he only had one week where he did not miss a kick. That was two weeks ago in Los Angeles.

Narveson missed another field goal in Sunday's 34-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The miss did not prove to be consequential, but others had already early in the season.

Narveson missed two kicks in Green Bay's 31-29 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The game likely does not go the same exact way, but that's six points lost in what turned out to be a two-point game.

Narveson missed a field goal in the season opener against Philadelphia in what turned out to be a five-point loss.

Had Narveson made that kick, the Packers' last-gasp drive would have been attempting to find a chance at another field goal attempt than a desperation hail mary.

Those misses were not as consequential as a kick that could have tied, or won a game, but they were close.

As the calendar rolls toward the winter, the margin for error shrinks.

The Packers will play the Houston Texans this weekend. A missed kick could prove to be consequential.

As it turns out, being more patient only applies if you are not the worst player at your position for six weeks.

Despite going back on his word from the end of August, this is a moment of growth for Gutekunst.

Last year, they made the mistake of sticking with Carlson, and it predictably sunk their season.

They could have stuck with Narveson, citing their 4-2 record and belief that, as a young kicker, he would get better.

Instead, they found a veteran available to them and attacked the position trying to get better.

If the fanbase has qualms about the acquisition of McManus, that is understandable.

McManus is being sued for an alleged sexual assault that took place when he was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The NFL reportedly decided there was not sufficient evidence to discipline the veteran kicker.

The lawsuit has recently been re-filed, which could cause for more information to emerge down the road.

On the field, McManus is unquestionably an upgrade from what the Packers have had for their last 25 games.

McManus has made nearly 91 percent of field goals under 50 yards in his career.

Those are kicks that kickers are expected to make. They're kicks that have not been made in Green Bay through the last two seasons.

Carlson was 24-28 on kicks under 50 yards, but also missed an additional five PATs last season. That included being 4-8 from kicks between 40-49 yards.

Narveson was 12-17 on the year, with all of his kicks being less than 50 yards.

Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur clearly have a lot of confidence in what the 2024 Packers can accomplish.

Gutekunst was not going to allow a previous call for patience to sink the ship like he did a season ago.

"I'm very confident in this team and what we can accomplish so I want to make sure we give this team every opportunity to win," Gutekunst said in August. "So there's going to be a standard that we're going to try to reach.

Narveson and Carlson did not reach that standard. Gutekunst is hoping that the veteran, McManus, will.

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