Packers free agency predictions: Will K Brandon McManus return?

Paul Bretl | 2/24/2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the coming weeks, I will take a closer look at the Packers pending free agents in my ‘Re-sign or Let Go and Prediction’ series.

For each free agent I will make a case as to why the Packers should re-sign them and I’ll also discuss why the Packers would let them walk and play elsewhere. Then at the end, I’ll make my prediction.

This will be my third offseason doing this series and through the first two, I’ve gotten 24 of the 27 predictions correct.

Up next, let’s take a closer look at whether or not kicker Brandon McManus will return for the 2025 season. If you missed our other previews, you can find them below:

Eric Wilson
Isaiah McDuffie
Robert Rochell
TJ Slaton
Tyler Davis
Eric Stokes

Why the Packers will re-sign Brandon McManus

The addition of McManus to the Packers’ roster in late-October last season provided them with what had been a missing element at the kicker position: stability. Up until that point, the Packers had six different kickers on their roster at various points between January of 2024 and October when McManus was signed.

McManus finished the season making all 31 of his extra point attempts, and he was 21-for-23 on field goal attempts, including going 6-for-7 from 40-plus yards. Among qualified kickers this season who had at least nine field goal attempts, McManus’ 91.3% hit-rate was the eighth-best mark in football. He was also 1-of-14 kickers to make all of his extra point attempts.

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“Obviously he’s a veteran guy,” GM Brian Gutekunst said after the season. “I think the thing that was so neat about being around him is not only his confidence but his ability to adjust no matter where we were. Really our specialists group with Matt (Orzech) and Daniel (Whelan) and if we were able to get Brandon back, I think certainly that would make me feel very, very, very good about that group.”

McManus joined the Packers having been in the NFL since 2014. He came to Green Bay with big game experience, having gone 10-for-10 on field goal attempts in the playoffs during Denver’s 2015 Super Bowl run. McManus has also been extremely steady on the kicks you expect a kicker to make under 50-yards. For his career, he’s made 91.1% of those attempts.

So there’s a long track record of success with McManus.

Beyond McManus’ results on the field, the other reason to re-sign him is because if the Packers don’t, who’s the alternative? In this instance, Green Bay could find themselves right back in the same position they were a year ago, trotting in kicker after kicker in search of consistency.

With a Packers team that is ready to compete for championships now, they do not have the luxury to go through the growing pains that often come with relying on a young kicker. Green Bay needs results now, which McManus can provide.

While at the end of the day, the makes and misses on field goal attempts is what matters most, the rapport that McManus has built within the field goal operation with long-snapper Matt Orzech and punter Daniel Whelan that should only grow as the trio gets more experience together.

“I think he’s become a part of our culture, to be honest with you,” said Rich Bisaccia late in the season. “But I think what he’s brought is 12 years of experience of playing at an extremely high level, especially inside of 50 yards. He has a great sense of confidence, I think we’ve said it in this room multiple times is that he’s very particular, knows what he wants. It’s made it extremely easy for Daniel to get better and improve at holding the football.”

Why the Packers won’t re-sign Brandon McManus

As I go through this exercise with each free agent, some arguments are stronger than others when it comes to describing why the Packers will or won’t re-sign someone, but in most instances, we can reach a plausible conclusion for each option.

However, I don’t know that I can conjure up a strong reason or two that the Packers won’t re-sign McManus. Green Bay bringing him back seems like the one certainty this offseason.

For the reasons mentioned above, with Green Bay in win-now mode, they cannot let contract value or another team potentially offering a larger deal stop them from bringing McManus back. Although the Packers aren’t ones to get into bidding wars, without McManus, they are back to step No. 1 when it comes to finding a kicker.

With that said, I also don’t think McManus is going to receive a top of market deal either. For some context, McManus’ deal with Washington last offseason was for $3.6 million. By average annual value, that would rank right around the middle of the NFL compared to other kickers. If I had to guess, he will be in the price-range again.

Prediction: The Packers re-sign Brandon McManus

This is a no-brainer. McManus is a proven veteran kicker who immediately changed the outlook of the Packers’ field goal unit last season. For a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the Packers can’t afford to go into a season–as they did last year–with unknown at this position.

And not that we need anymore convincing that McManus will be back with the Packers, but when Brian Gutekunst was asked after the season about him being a free agent, he was very direct in saying that Green Bay wants him back.

“We would,” said Gutekunst when asked if the Packers would like McManus back. “Had a good conversation with him before he left and obviously, and you guys know this, how he solidified that journey we were going on.”

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