Packers GM reveals extra step made before signing Brandon McManus
On Wednesday, the Packers officially made a change, dropping rookie kicker Brayden Narveson and signing Brandon McManus. The 12-year veteran had agreed to a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders during the preseason but was released when sexual assault allegations from his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars surfaced.
However, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst stressed the organization’s efforts to vet the longtime Broncos’ kicker before offering him a contract. Gutekunst said the team relied on the league’s investigation while also conducting their own research into the allegations against McManus, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. Gutekunst wanted to hear about the accusations directly from McManus.
“We had a really good conversation with Brandon… When these things got cleared up with the league… and he got past some other things those conversations kinda picked up. Wanted to make sure we did our due diligence. Again, we feel really good about that… We’re excited to get him out there,” Gutekunst said via Demovsky. “Obviously he’s a very experienced kicker.”
McManus was accused of assaulting two women during the Jaguars team flight to London in 2023. The women were working has flight attendants and claim the kicker grinded up against them and attempted to kiss one of them during the trip. McManus ultimately did not face discipline from the league due to insufficient evidence to support the accusations. This allowed him to continue his career in the NFL. He’ll likely make his 2024 debut in Week 7 after signing with Green Bay.
The Packers have struggled to find a reliable kicker in recent years. The team released Anders Carlson following his disastrous missed field goal in the Divisional Round of the playoffs last season. In 2024, Green Bay named undrafted free agent Narveson the team’s starting kicker. However, the team lost faith in the rookie after he missed five of 17 field goal attempts through the first six weeks of the season. Now McManus will attempt to stabilize the position for the Packers.
Green Bay will take on the 5-1 Houston Texans at home in Week 7. Fans hope kicking doesn’t heavily factor into the game as the matchup will feature two of the hottest young quarterbacks in the league in Jordan Love and CJ Stroud.
