The Green Bay Packers caught a considerable amount of criticism for sticking with kicker Brandon McManus for their road matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on the October 26 edition of “Sunday Night Football.”
McManus missed both field goals he attempted in the first half of the contest, one from 57 yards at the beginning of the second quarter and another from 44 yards on the last play before halftime, which Green Bay entered down by a score of 16-7.
Media members and fans alike took to social media to express their frustration with McManus’s struggles, as well as the Packers’ decision not to go with kicker Lucas Havrisik instead.
“Hell of a drive from [quarterback] Jordan Love to get potential points before the half,” Ryan Wood of USA Today posted to X. “Had 34 seconds to get into field-goal range. Completed all 3 of his passes for 36 yards … and Brandon McManus pushes the 44-yard field goal wide left. Have to question not playing Lucas Havrisik tonight.”
McManus also missed a field goal during the Packers’ 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns on September 21, Green Bay’s only defeat of the season coming into Sunday night, and another against the Washington Commanders the previous week. He was also errant on an extra point against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, a game that the Packers finished in a 40-40 tie.
In four and a half games played in 2025, McManus had connected on just 7-of-11 field goals as well as 11-of-12 extra points. He hit an extra point early in the third quarter on Sunday night following a Packers touchdown that moved him to 12-of-13 on the season.
Lucas Havrisik Was Perfect Across 2 Games for Packers in Relief of Injured Brandon McManus
GettyKicker Lucas Havrisik of the Green Bay Packers.
McManus missed Green Bay’s past two games with a quad injury, and Havrisik filled in.
Havrisik was perfect in those two outings, connecting on all four field goals and all six extra points he attempted. This season represents Havrisik’s second in the NFL after playing in nine games for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023.
Havrisik went 15-of-20 on field goal tries in L.A., as well as 19-of-22 on extra points. He is 26 years old and played college football at the University of Arizona.
Packers Can Pick up Salary Cap Space by Parting Ways With Brandon McManus, but Only Via Trade
GettyGreen Bay Packers kicker Brandon McManus.
Moving on from McManus, 34, and elevating Havrisik can provide the Packers with the benefit of salary cap relief in both this season and the next, but only if they do so via trade.
Justis Mosqueda of SB Nation’s Acme Packing Co. laid out the financial scenario Sunday.
McManus signed a three-year, $15.3 million deal this offseason that featured a $5 million signing bonus. With that being said, McManus’ combined cap hit over the 2025 and 2026 seasons is $8.8 million. If the team wants to, they can eat that signing bonus, which would be spread over the cap over the next two seasons: $1.7 million on the books for 2025 and the remaining $3.3 million hitting in 2026.
Considering that Havrisik only has one accrued NFL season, the Packers would be able to re-sign the kicker as an exclusive rights free agent in 2026, and Havrisik would be making the league minimum on that tender. Overall, the team would end up actually saving cash with that move.
The question facing Green Bay is whether they believe in Havrisik enough to move on from McManus, to whom they just made a meaningful commitment during the offseason.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Packers Urged to Trade Brandon McManus After Blunders in Pittsburgh appeared first on Heavy Sports.