The true beginning of free agency is on the horizon, but the NFL is already buzzing with news as teams schmooze before the start of the new league year. With a handful of big trades already agreed upon and more on coming soon, it’s an exciting time even before the big names officially hit the market.
The Green Bay Packers have already made one of their most significant moves, though it might not be as immediately exciting.
Last week, the Packers extended their highest-priority free agent, locking down kicker Brandon McManus on a three-year, $15.3 million deal — a bargain for the team’s long-coveted kicking stability.
With the kicking carousel finally stopped spinning, the Packers handled their most important question for their struggling special teams group. What’s next on the horizon to get this group out of the bottom of the barrel?
The Packers are no stranger to having their season dragged down by poor special teams play, and the post-Mason Crosby years were plagued by kicking issues. Father Time clearly bogged Crosby down in his final season, but he was still better than the rogue’s gallery that came afterward.
Anders Carlson and Brayden Narveson probably cost the Packers a few wins. Even their “reliable” veteran option, Greg Joseph, couldn’t beat out the novice kickers.
Thankfully, McManus brought stability and immediately showed the benefit of an experienced kicker by winning back-to-back games with last-second field goals.
McManus only missed two field goals after joining Green Bay. Unfortunately, one was in the playoff loss to Philadelphia. Still, with a reliable kicker in place, Packers fans can rest a bit easier.
Still, they can’t sleep too soundly because special teams was still stinky by the end of the season.
Green Bay made two more moves for the unit’s good, though.
The Packers tendered multiple exclusive-rights free agents, including punter Daniel Whelan and safety Zayne Anderson.
Whelan had a career year in 2024 and was a field-tilting weapon. He was the team’s MVP in multiple games and even turned some poor snaps into booming punts. Keeping Whelan along with McManus keeps the specialist core working and growing together, giving the Packers their most reliable kicking duo in some time.
Anderson played a bigger role than many expected on defense, and everyone noticed his absence to close the season. That depth at safety makes maintaining him an excellent move, but he’s also one of Rich Bisaccia’s most valuable we-fensive players.
Anderson played the second-most special teams snaps, trailing only Eric Wilson. He also led the team with 10 ST tackles.
The Packers also signed linebacker Isaiah McDuffie to a two-year extension. McDuffie’s special teams snaps have diminished as his role on defense has grown. However, if the Packers don’t re-sign Eric Wilson, we could see McDuffie play a bigger role on special teams again.
Green Bay could re-sign Wilson, who is consistently one of their best special teamers, but it’s unlikely that both McDuffie and Wilson will get new deals. They still need an off-ball linebacker, and the Packers may need to focus more on the position’s defensive side rather than ST ability.
Defensive end Arron Mosby, who played the third-most special teams snaps, also seems likely to return for 2025.
With their two main specialists locked down and some key contributors back in the fold, Bisaccia’s biggest needs are stability at returner and long snapper and to find new core teamers.
Jayden Reed is the closest thing to the team’s WR1 at this point. With Christian Watson set to miss time, the Packers will lean on Reed. He also needs to fix his drop issues. He probably shouldn’t be returning punts at this point in his career, and focusing solely on WR could help those drop issues.
Keisean Nixon expressed frustration about being a returner and wanting to focus on being “CB1.” He may also not be ideally suited to the NFL’s new kick-return rules, though the league could tweak them again this offseason.
Matt LaFleur mentioned having multiple options for returners, and it would be wise to invest in the role. The team will likely add a receiver in this year’s draft, so finding one with return experience would be a boon.
Matt Orzech isn’t a liability at long snapper, but I’ve long thought it’s an area where the team could find an upgrade. A few botched snaps made life harder than necessary for Whelan, and an upgrade could elevate the two returning specialists.
Finally, in the likely event the Packers don’t re-sign Eric Wilson, they must replace those snaps and find more reliable tacklers. Whether this comes from a combination of next-man-up moves on the existing roster, finding roles for the 2025 draft class, or finding some reliable veterans, Bisaccia could stand to remake his core group to avoid previous deficiencies.
The Packers are committed to keeping Rich Bisaccia as their special teams coordinator, so they must provide him with the right group of players. They’ve kept some of their bright spots by re-signing McManus and tendering Whelan and Anderson. The next focus should be re-envisioning their returners, upgrading at long snapper, and finding new ways to get productive players in the right spots to succeed.
