Mason Crosby has had a historic career in Green Bay. He is the only player not named Aaron Rodgers who played in the Super Bowl XLV and is still on the roster. But after a horrific 2021 season, when Crosby was the kicker with the most field goals missed, it’s time to move on. General manager Brian Gutekunst indicated he wouldn’t part ways with the long-time kicker, but there are several reasons why he should.
First of all, Crosby’s performance was abysmal in 2021. He was the player with the most missed field goals (nine), converting only 25/34 attempts. Crosby also missed two extra points. It was the second-worst season of his career (73.5%) after 2012 (63.6%). Although Crosby has recovered following down years in the past, the chance of a comeback is smaller considering he will be 35 when next season starts in September.
Crosby’s problems started in Week 5 when he missed three field goals and almost cost the Packers a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. From the fourth quarter of that game on, he went 9/18 in field goals and missed a three-point attempt in each of his last four games. In the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Crosby had a kick blocked and even had trouble even with kickoffs. Unable to kick touchbacks, he allowed a big Deebo Samuel return to start the second half.
His down year came one season after Crosby was almost perfect in 2020. But the sample size was small. Green Bay’s offense was so prolific and efficient in the red zone that he kicked only 16 field goals and converted all of them. He missed only four kicks, and all were extra point attempts (59/63).
Additionally, it’s now easier than ever to find competency at the position. There are extreme cases of teams making repeated mistakes, like the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Chargers. But, in general, teams find decent kickers without spending much capital. And that’s important considering Green Bay’s cap constraints and the renewed all-in approach.
For instance, the Los Angeles Rams won the Super Bowl after signing Matt Gay off the street following his dismissal from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Indianapolis Colts. The Bengals also have an inexpensive kicker, but they used a fifth-round pick to select Evan McPherson last offseason. Even the Bears and Chargers have found decent veterans in Cairo Santos and Dustin Hopkins for team-friendly deals.
Publicly, the Packers preach confidence in Crosby. During a recent media availability, Gutekunst said he plans to keep his kicker.
“For where our football team is, having a championship kind of kicker, a guy who can compete at that level, is important,” he said.
But actions speak louder than words. They have signed J.J. Molson ($705,000), the kicker who spent all of last season on the practice squad, and Dominik Eberle ($825,000), who kicked under special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia in Las Vegas, to future deals. That means they’ll both be on the 90-man roster to start the next league year on March 16.
Finally, there is a financial factor. Crosby is sixth among kickers in average per annual salary, and his projected cap hit of $4.735 million is seventh for the position.
If the Packers release Crosby, they will incur $2.34 million in dead money because they restructured his contract last season to create immediate cap room. However, $2.395 million in cap savings is enough to sign a cheap replacement and still have a $1.5 million balance to spend elsewhere.
Crosby is a locker room leader and has made important kicks for the Packers through the years. But the team can’t risk games with a player who is far past his prime.
By firing coordinator Maurice Drayton and bringing in Rich Bisaccia, the Packers showed a willingness to rebuild the special teams after a regrettable 2021 season. But, more than changing the coaching staff, it’s essential to find better players. Green Bay acquired punter Corey Bojorquez via trade with the Rams, and he had a good season and should be kept around.
However, the Packers have to explore other options at kicker, long snapper, and returner. And if Green Bay moves on from Crosby now rather than in August, the extra cap is in effect to start the new league year and gives more room to operate in a tricky situation.
