Getty Mason Crosby and the Packers have yet to have real discussions about a potential return to Green Bay.
The Green Bay Packers have not entirely shut the door on kicker Mason Crosby’s potential return for the 2023 season, but it does not sound as though they are keeping him in their immediate plans heading into training camp in July.
During an interview on ESPN’s “Wilde & Tausch” on June 26, Crosby opened up about his ongoing free agency, saying Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was “pretty honest” about the team’s plans for possibly bringing the veteran placekicker back for a 17th season in Green Bay.
“We talked right before free agency and Gutey was pretty honest with where the organization was and, at that moment too, [that they were] pretty tight with cap space, trying to figure everything out with Aaron [Rodgers],” Crosby said. “I mean, he was pretty upfront with me that [my return] would be later — if ever — so we never really got into any real discussions about a possible return at this point.”
Crosby remains unsigned and did not mention plans to retire during his interview, so it is plausible the 38-year-old would be available to re-sign with the Packers if they offered to bring him back into the fold later on in the year. Green Bay, however, drafted his presumptive replacement — sixth-rounder Anders Carlson — in April and has not even gone as far as to sign a second kicker to the roster to challenge him in camp, suggesting Gutekunst feels comfortable about the rookie’s outlook as their new starter.
Mason Crosby Hasn’t Accepted the End in Green Bay
There was a sense when the Packers finished the 2022 season with a playoff-preventing loss to the Detroit Lions that a new era was on the horizon. Rodgers felt change coming, electing to take a private walk into the tunnel at Lambeau Field with one of his best friends, wide receiver Randall Cobb, so they could soak up the finality of it together.
In the months since then, both Rodgers and Cobb have moved on to the New York Jets. Crosby, however, said he did not spend his final moments on Lambeau Field thinking about the end of his Packers career. He was too optimistic to see the writing on the wall.
“You know, I wasn’t thinking about that. I’m always optimistic,” Crosby said. “It’s been unreal that this is the first time in 16 years that I’ve been a free agent. I’m so fortunate and thankful that through all these years I’ve been able to get a deal done with the Packers before I ever even tested the market. It’s a little unknown and my normal process is you evaluate the season and then hope to have those conversations before free agency, and unfortunately this year, that didn’t happen. For me, it was probably a little bit later of a feeling of like, ‘Yeah, this could be the end and I might have played my last game there in Green Bay.’
“For me, until it’s all over, I’m not going to try to get all the emotion and feel all the feels with it. But yeah, it is surreal, and I’m so thankful for my time there.”
Will Anders Carlson Pick Up Mason Crosby’s Mantle?
The Packers are eventually going to bring back Crosby. If he is not re-signed as a player, then he will return when they induct him into the Packers Hall of Fame, an honor he has certainly earned as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer (1,918 points). In terms of the here and now, though, all eyes are on Carlson as he tries to pick up Crosby’s mantle for the Packers heading into the 2023 season — and it all begins with training camp.
Carlson impressed the Packers and practice-attending media throughout the offseason. While he struggled with consistency on mid- to long-range kicks over his five seasons at Auburn, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur glowed about the strength and power of the rookie’s leg when talking about him toward the end of the team’s offseason workouts.
“He’s got a lot of leg, and I don’t know if you get an opportunity to see that, but he’s got a big-time leg,” LaFleur said. “I think it’s just harnessing that power and making sure it’s very consistent, but I think he’s shown improvement throughout the course of the offseason.”
Now, Carlson must prove he can continue to impress when facing real competition. The conditions of a padless offseason program are much different than what he will face in training camp and the preseason when the pads go on and it will only get more rigorous when the regular season begins and the consistency of his kicks has stakes.
If Carlson can string together strong kicking performances in the preseason and flash the makings of a new franchise kicker, the Packers should feel validated about their decision to move on from Crosby. If he struggles, though, they might want to consider the possibility of bringing back Crosby, even if only for one final season in Green Bay.