Packers Release Kicker Brandon McManus After Drafting Trey Smack

The Green Bay Packers released veteran kicker Brandon McManus on Friday. The decision, announced 13 days after the team drafted rookie Trey Smack in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, indicates that Smack will almost certainly be the team's kicker for the 2026 season.

Smack and McManus had been expected to compete for the position during training camp. With McManus no longer on the roster, Smack is positioned to take over barring a significant setback in the coming months. Lucas Havrisik remains on the team's roster as another kicking option.

Smack was the only kicker selected in the 2026 draft. He played at Florida, where over his final three seasons he made 53 of 64 field goals for an 82.8 percent success rate. He converted 100 of 101 extra points, went 10 of 13 from beyond 50 yards and had a career long of 56 yards.

Packers special teams coach Cam Achord said earlier this week that he liked Smack's straight ball and accuracy. "His ball doesn't move a lot," Achord said. "For me, I don't need a guy … that can kick 65 yards personally. " Achord added that consistency in wind and elements would be important.

He then signed a three-year, $15.3 million contract. In 2025, however, McManus converted 24 of 30 field goal attempts for an 80.0 percent rate, which ranked 24th among kickers with at least 20 attempts. He missed both field goal tries and an extra point in the team's playoff loss to Chicago.