The Green Bay Packers crushed it in Week 6 against the Arizona Cardinals, sailing to a comfortable 4-2 season record, with quarterback Jordan Love absolutely torching the field with four touchdown passes for the second game in a row. Things are looking great for the Packers—well, almost everything. Their kicking game? Not so much.
Wednesday, the Packers officially cut ties with rookie kicker Brayden Narveson, opting instead to bring in veteran Brandon McManus. The 12-year NFL vet had been preseason-bound with Washington until accusations surfaced of alleged misconduct during a Jaguars team flight in 2023. The allegations involved two flight attendants, who claimed McManus engaged in unwanted contact, though he ultimately faced no league discipline due to a lack of sufficient evidence. Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst shared that the team thoroughly vetted McManus, conducting their own investigation alongside the NFL’s, and even spoke directly with him about the incident before signing. “We had a really good conversation with Brandon… We’re excited to get him out there,” Gutekunst said, adding that the Packers “feel really good about that.”
McManus joins the Packers at a time when their kicking woes are glaring. After struggling with past kickers, they tried out undrafted rookie Narveson this season, but after five misses in 17 attempts, his time ran out. Now, with a big showdown against the Houston Texans and their red-hot QB CJ Stroud in Week 7, fans are hoping the game doesn’t come down to a kick—because they’d rather trust Jordan Love’s arm than McManus’ leg.
