It’s not a big class of free agents for the Green Bay Packers, but the best of them is staying around. Six days ahead of the legal tampering period, the Packers extended kicker Brandon McManus, giving him a three-year, $15.3 million contract.
The $5.1 million average is excellent value based on the kicker market. McManus got $5 million in a signing bonus, which is the only guaranteed part of his deal. Practically, it’s a one-year deal with two team options in 2026 and 2027.
Presuming that the contract doesn’t have void years and that the Packers will pay a minimum base salary for the kicker, the 2025 cap hit will be $2.92 million, an extremely affordable amount for a player that gave Green Bay stability at the position after two years of drama.
“We had a good conversation before he left, and you guys know how he solidified that journey we were going on,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst had said after the season. “Obviously, he’s a veteran guy. His ability to adjust, the weather we had. Our specialist group with Matt (Orzech) and Daniel (Whelan), if we’re able to get Brandon back, certainly would feel very, very good about that group.”
Brandon McManus missed a huge 38-yard field goal against the Philadelphia Eagles in the playoffs, his first postseason miss. But outside of that, he had an impressive performance for the Packers.
Among players with at least 20 field goal attempts, he had the second-best percentage (95.2), right before Nick Folk (95.4) from the Tennessee Titans. But that was also his best season in the NFL, and his career average is 82.2% for field goals.
Based on how Brandon McManus solidified the kicking position for the Packers and how small the kicker market is compared to offensive and defensive positions, it was a no-brainer for Green Bay. And Gutekunst made sure to cross the finish line before any outside competition could make things harder.
Now, the Packers have already re-signed two of their top five free agents. On Monday, they had locked up linebacker Isaiah McDuffie for two more years. The best remaining players who will hit the market are center Josh Myers, cornerback Eric Stokes, and defensive tackle TJ Slaton.