Former Denver Broncos Super Bowl hero Brandon McManus is back on the open market after a short run with the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers released McManus on Friday, May 8, after using a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft on former Florida kicker Trey Smack, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move ends what had looked like a possible kicking competition before training camp and puts one of the most important special teams players from Denver’s Super Bowl 50 team back into the NFL’s veteran kicker pool.
For Broncos fans, the news lands differently than a standard roster cut. McManus made all 10 of his field-goal attempts during Denver’s 2015 postseason run, which ended with a Super Bowl 50 victory. His Packers bio notes those 10 makes tied for the fourth-most field goals in a single postseason in NFL history.
Packers Move on From Brandon McManus After Drafting Trey Smack
Green Bay’s decision came less than two weeks after the Packers invested real draft capital in Smack.
The Packers traded up to select the Florida kicker with the No. 216 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL draft. Acme Packing Company reported that Green Bay sent both of its seventh-round picks to move up for Smack, who was widely viewed as one of the top kicking prospects in the class.
That draft pick immediately changed McManus’ standing.
The Packers had re-signed McManus in March 2025 on a three-year, $15.3 million contract, according to Reuters. The deal came after McManus stabilized Green Bay’s kicking situation in 2024, when he made 20 of 21 field-goal attempts and all 30 extra-point attempts in 11 regular-season games.
The problem for McManus was that his 2025 season did not match that level. He went 24-for-30 on field goals and 32-for-33 on extra points in 14 regular-season games.
That is not disastrous production, but it left Green Bay paying veteran-starter money for a kicker who had slipped from nearly automatic in 2024 to 80% on field goals in 2025. ESPN also listed McManus’ 2025 field-goal percentage at 80.0%, tied for 32nd in the NFL.
Packers Had a Contract Path to Cut McManus
The key to the move was Green Bay’s contract structure.
Over the Cap lists McManus’ Packers deal as a three-year contract worth $15.3 million with $5 million guaranteed. The deal included a $5 million signing bonus and a $1 million roster bonus due on the third day of the 2026 league year.
Spotrac listed McManus with a 2026 cap hit of $5.278 million and a dead-cap value of $4.333 million.
That is not free, but it is manageable. The Packers did not have to carry McManus through camp just because they had re-signed him. Once they drafted Smack, they could absorb the dead money, clear the roster spot and move toward a younger kicker on a rookie contract.
Green Bay did not wait for training camp misses or preseason drama. The Packers drafted Smack, evaluated the financial hit and moved on before the competition ever became a public storyline.
For McManus, the release makes his next stop less predictable. A Broncos reunion would carry obvious nostalgia, but Denver has Wil Lutz under contract and does not have the same kicking uncertainty Green Bay had before drafting Smack. Lutz has been incredibly solid with the Broncos.
McManus’ next opportunity is more likely to come from a team that has an injury, a struggling rookie or an unsettled camp battle. His 2025 numbers gave the Packers a reason to move on, but his larger body of work should keep him on NFL call lists.
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