What Are Green Bay's Options If They Move On From Brandon McManus?

There’s an old saying: The more things change, the more they stay the same. That phrase perfectly describes the state of the Green Bay Packers’ special teams under Matt LaFleur. Despite multiple attempts to fix the unit, the results have largely remained unchanged.

Over a seven-year span, Green Bay has had three different special teams coordinators, yet the performance has been consistently subpar across all phases -- except for Daniel Whelan, of course. Whether it’s the return game, blocking, or field goal execution, special teams have continued to be a liability rather than a strength.

Today, the focus is on the field goal operation. In 2025, the Packers had missed or blocked kicks against the Cleveland Browns, the Dallas Cowboys, and, most recently, the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card round. Each of those mistakes came back to haunt Green Bay and ultimately played a role in the final outcome. Two of those games were decided by one score, while the other ended in a tie.

Brandon McManus finished the season just three for nine on kicks from 40 yards and beyond. He turns 35 next July and is under contract through 2027, but Green Bay has a relatively easy out in his deal this offseason. Given the recent struggles, a clean break may be the best course of action – resetting the special teams unit with a new coordinator and a new kicker.

There isn’t a deep pool of unrestricted free-agent kickers in 2026. Still, there are a couple of interesting names the Packers should monitor if they decide to move in a different direction: Nick Folk and Eddy Piñeiro

Folk may have been one of the few bright spots for the New York Jets in 2025, aside from their social media team celebrating the fact that they were the first team since 2023 to start the same five offensive linemen for all 17 games, despite winning just three games. They clearly didn’t read the room.

Back to Folk. He was perfect on extra points (22 for 22) and converted 28 of his 29 field goal attempts, with his only miss coming from 50-plus yards. That level of consistency is especially impressive given the Jets’ cold-weather environment and their open-roof stadium.

Meanwhile, Piñeiro joined the San Francisco 49ers on September 10. He entered the season with the fourth-highest field goal percentage in NFL history, trailing only Justin Tucker, Harrison Butker, and Chris Boswell. He made 28 of his 29 field goal attempts, with his only miss coming from 60-plus yards against the Indianapolis Colts at the end of the first half. However, he missed four of his 38 extra points.

Piñeiro’s efficiency has held up despite playing outdoors. That said, it’s more than likely that John Lynch will want to re-sign him, and Green Bay may not be interested in entering a bidding war for a kicker, especially given their limited cap space.

Green Bay also has Lucas Havrisik on the practice squad. He broke the franchise record for longest field goal when he drilled a 61-yarder against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7. The reason he hasn’t been mentioned until now is simple: The Packers are almost going to bring in a veteran to compete against him for the job.

The last time Green Bay didn’t have a true kicker competition was in 2023, when Anders Carlson had sole control of the position. Every Packers fan remembers how disastrous that experience was, so it is hard to imagine the team would take a similar approach again.

Special teams have been subpar for far too long in Wisconsin, and it’s past time for that to change. Regardless of who ends up coaching the unit, the Packers haven’t had a reliable kicker since Mason Crosby in 2022. That may not sound like a long time, but given the collapses and repeated mistakes since then, it feels like an eternity.

The Packers need stability at kicker again.