Smacked to the curb: Packers releasing K Brandon McManus

The kicking competition in Green Bay appears to be over before it started: the Packers are releasing veteran kicker Brandon McManus, less than two weeks after selecting kicker Trey Smack in the sixth round of the 2026 draft, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

McManus, who turns 35 in July, was paid a $1 million roster bonus by the Packers in March. But a combination of factors led to his release, beginning with a lingering leg injury midway through last year's regular season and ending with the Packers trading up to take Smack on Day 3 of the draft. In between, McManus cost the Packers seven points with crucial misses during the NFC Wild Card Round loss to the Chicago Bears in January.

Instead of including McManus in the competition, the Packers will grant his release -- providing him options before training camps begin around the NFL -- and turn to Smack, who is under team control for the next four years.

The Packers viewed Smack as the best kicker in the 2026 draft and aggressively moved back into the sixth round to get him.

McManus made 20 of 21 field goals during the 2024 season, but he had a miss during the Packers' playoff loss in Philadelphia. The Packers rewarded him with a three-year, $15 million deal. In 2025, McManus hit only 24 of 30 field goals, including four misses between 40-49 yards. In Chicago during the postseason, he missed two field goals and an extra point, costing the Packers dearly in the collapse.

The only other kicker on the Packers roster is Lucas Havrisik, who hit a franchise record 63-yard field goal while McManus was out last season.