The Packers have a new kicker: Brandon McManus.

BIG move from Gutey yesterday, as the kicker carousel keeps going around and around at 1265 Lombardi Avenue. A lot to unpack here:

• Brandon McManus is a 10-year veteran. He kicked for 9 years in Denver (including going 3/3 on field goals in Super Bowl 50). Then he kicked for one year in Jacksonville before being signed to a 1 year, $3.6 million dollar deal by the Commanders this past March. He was released by the Commanders shortly thereafter (more on that in a second). He’s 81.8% on field goals in his career, and 97% on extra points (he made every extra point for the Jaguars last year). He’s also 37/39 on field goals in the 40-49 yard range in the last four seasons, which was obviously an issue for the last two kickers in Green Bay.
• Now, “why was this guy available?” I’m glad you asked. I’m just going to tell you exactly what happened and what’s currently going on, feel free to judge for yourself one way or the other. This is an internet blog, not a court of law, or an HR department. So here’s what happened: On the Jaguars flight to London last year, McManus was accused of assault by two flight attendants. The accusation was that he tried to kiss one attendant and ‘grinded up’ on both of them. When this news broke, the Commanders released him. The NFL conducted an investigation, they say they talked to 30 people with knowledge of the incident, and they decided in early September that there was ‘not sufficient evidence’ to discipline McManus any further. The two flight attendants filed a civil suit against McManus, they wanted it filed with anonymity, but the court decided that it did not reach the threshold for anonymity, so if they wanted to continue they needed to use their names in the suit. The flight attendants agreed to that, and refiled the suit with their names in Duval County Circuit Court. So that lawsuit is still going on. The lawyer for the two flight attendants says the NFL did not talk to his clients when they were conducting their investigation.
• My *ASSUMPTION/HOPE* is that the Packers did their due diligence on his off the field issues, and they know exactly what they’re getting into.
• I sort of feel for Brayden Narveson. Seemed like a good kid, the fact that he was marrying into a family of Packer fans seemed like a great story too. But here’s the thing about stories: They can’t make kicks. I love the book The Great Gatsby, I’ve read it 5 times. But The Great Gatsby can’t make a 46 yard field goal in the playoffs (as far as I know). 5 missed field goals in only 6 weeks was a bridge too far. As we said in the podcast on Monday, even if he made EVERY field goal from this week until the end of the season, I still wouldn’t have had confidence in him nailing a kick in the playoffs. Some kind of move had to be made.

So, now we ride with McManus. Obviously in terms of just ‘on the field,’ I feel better about the kicking situation. That will crumble quickly if he goes 1/3 on Sunday, but having someone who’s had success over a decade-long career in the NFL feels better than Anders last season or Narv-Dog this season.

PS: The Jets Twitter page compiled a pretty incredible Rodgers-to-Davante highlight reel to post yesterday:

Certainly a case could be made for Favre-to-Sharpe, or Rodgers-to-Jordy, but the Rodgers to Adams connection in 2020 and 2021 might be the best QB/WR combo in franchise history.