Packers GM reveals extra step made before signing Brandon McManus
The Green Bay Packers delivered a thorough beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6. With the win the team improved to 4-2 on the season. Second-year starter Jordan Love is on fire , throwing four touchdown passes in back-to-back games and the team received positive injury updates on its receivers . Everything was looking up for the Packers with one exception. Green Bay's kicking game has been lacking all season.
On Wednesday, the Packers officially made a change , dropping rookie kicker Brayden Narveson and signing Brandon McManus. The 12-year veteran had agreed to a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders during the preseason but was released when sexual assault allegations from his time with the Jacksonville Jaguars surfaced.
However, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst stressed the organization's efforts to vet the longtime Broncos' kicker before offering him a contract. Gutekunst said the team relied on the league's investigation while also conducting their own research into the allegations against McManus, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. Gutekunst wanted to hear about the accusations directly from McManus.
"We had a really good conversation with Brandon... When these things got cleared up with the league... and he got past some other things those conversations kinda picked up. Wanted to make sure we did our due diligence. Again, we feel really good about that... We're excited to get him out there," Gutekunst said via Demovsky. "Obviously he's a very experienced kicker."
The Packers did their "due diligence" before signing Brandon McManus
McManus was accused of assaulting two women during the Jaguars team flight to London in 2023. The women were working has flight attendants and claim the kicker grinded up against them and attempted to kiss one of them during the trip. McManus ultimately did not face discipline from the league due to insufficient evidence to support the accusations. This allowed him to continue his career in the NFL. He'll likely make his 2024 debut in Week 7 after signing with Green Bay .
The Packers have struggled to find a reliable kicker in recent years. The team released Anders Carlson following his disastrous missed field goal in the Divisional Round of the playoffs last season. In 2024, Green Bay named undrafted free agent Narveson the team's starting kicker. However, the team lost faith in the rookie after he missed five of 17 field goal attempts through the first six weeks of the season. Now McManus will attempt to stabilize the position for the Packers.
