The Green Bay Packers have been in an interesting position with their kickers — yes, plural — lately. During the offseason, they re-signed Brandon McManus to a three-year, $15.3 million deal that included a $5 million signing bonus. McManus was coming off a strong season with the Green and Gold, converting 91.3% of his field goal attempts and going a perfect 100% from 50 yards and beyond.
However, the 2025 season hasn’t been kind to McManus. He’s converted just 68.6% of his field goals and missed games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals due to injury. McManus returned on Sunday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers but struggled, missing two of four attempts. The following week, he missed another against the Carolina Panthers. Overall, he’s just 1-for-5 on field goals from 40 to 49 yards this season. Moreover, he has also missed three field goals since returning from injury.
On Monday, LaFleur acknowledged that McManus, still listed as a limited participant in practice, isn’t fully healthy. The press then asked if the issue was mechanical or physical.
“No, I definitely say healthwise,” LaFleur noted. “He didn’t kick for two straight weeks, but that’s a process we’re working through. We felt confident, in terms of what we’ve been seeing out at practice, and just his ability to make them. That’s where it all starts for us.”
The Packers should have just let McManus rest and fully recover from his injury, maybe even placed him on injured reserve, especially since they already have Lucas Havrisik on the 53-man roster. Havrisik was on a hot streak before McManus returned, which makes Green Bay’s handling of the kicker situation all the more questionable.
Havrisik went 6-for-6 on extra points and 4-for-4 on field goals in the two games he started. On top of that, he set a new franchise record for the longest made field goal in Packers history.
The Packers made things much harder than they needed to in their game against the Cincinnati Bengals — one they should have closed out much earlier. That afternoon, Lucas Havrisik came through when it mattered most. After working out for the team on Friday, signing on Saturday, and learning less than two hours before kickoff that he’d be handling kicks, he calmly nailed a 39-yarder to seal Green Bay’s 27-18 win.
“You’ve got to discipline your mind to treat every kick the same,” Havrisik said after the game. “So, whether it’s a PAT or a 66-yarder – whatever it may be – obviously your emotions and adrenaline change, but you try to get back to a neutral spot and just treat every kick the same.”
The Packers now have a decision to make. The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are coming to Lambeau Field on Monday night, and Green Bay has already dropped too many games because of inconsistency in the kicking game. A blocked field goal cost them a win against the Browns. A blocked PAT against the Dallas Cowboys created a three-point swing in a game that ended in a tie. A missed field goal against the Carolina Panthers proved costly in a game they lost by three.
There will be no margin for error against Philadelphia. This matchup could have significant implications for home-field advantage and playoff seeding once January arrives. Rich Bisaccia and the Packers likely want to give McManus every opportunity they can. They made a long-term investment in him and want to see that commitment pay off. However, if McManus still isn’t fully healthy, Havrisik should handle the kicking duties.
Green Bay has options should McManus’ struggles persist even after he’s fully healthy. His contract structure gives the team flexibility to move on after this season without taking a major cap hit, so they’re not tied to him long-term. That would make it easier to give Havrisik a real shot at the starting job without hurting their financial outlook. Still, every kicker goes through ups and downs, and McManus deserves the chance to find his rhythm again.
