Getty Mason Crosby, former Packers kicker
It will be a new NFL era for the Packers on Sunday, the first time we’ll see Green Bay take the field without a beloved veteran Super Bowl winner on its roster. That player, of course, is kicker Mason Crosby.
Who’d you think it was?
The Crosby Era ended back at the NFL draft in April, when the Packers drafted Anders Carlson in the sixth round with the intention of making him their guy. Crosby has been a free agent all offseason, and no one has come calling, despite his sterling resume.
But Crosby has made it clear that he is not retired, even at age 39. On the eve of the Packers’ opener, he put out a bittersweet message on Twitter (X):
“As the first @nfl weekend of the ‘23 season begins I’m still preparing but taking this rare moment of downtime to reflect on some of the past moments. So thankful for my family, great coaches and teammates and the support of all the fans. #football #grateful”
Crosby Is Packers’ Franchise-Leading Kicker
There is no kicker in Packers’ history who has had a bigger impact than Crosby, who had been with the team since 2005. He holds the franchise record for the longest field goal in team history, at 58 yards, and has made 385 career field goals, the Packers’ all-time leader ahead of Ryan Longwell (226).
Crosby had some struggles in 2021, when he missed nine field goals and had his second-worst percentage of his career (73.5%) but he was much better in 2022, making 83.2% of his tries. During that time—and going back to 2019—Crosby revealed that his wife, Molly Ackerman Crosby, was dealing with lung cancer, a battle she ultimately won.
On the field, Crosby has struggled with getting depth on his kickoffs (he had surgery before last season), but he is still an accurate veteran kicker, and has made it clear on social media that he is ready to step in and join a team should their kicking game need help. Crosby posted a series of “audition” videos on Instagram in the summer,
“Never count anything out in this game,” Crosby told ESPN Wisconsin this summer (via Forbes). “Weird stuff happens every year and you never know. You never know what’s going to happen.”
Anders Carlson Still an Unknown
And the Packers don’t quite know what is going to happen in their own kicking game. There were questions about Carlson’s reliability during training camp but when it came time to play preseason games, he was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals, including makes of 52 and 57 yards. He was, though, only 6-for-9 on extra points.
Carlson was 173-for-176 on extra points in five seasons at Auburn and 79-for-110 on field goals.
Carlson will be under some pressure this season, not just because he’s a rookie trying to show his team he was worth a draft selection, but because the shadow of Crosby will remain. H was honest about his inconsistency this preseason.
“I think there’s always things to grow from and learn from,” Carlson said. “I think there’s been a lot of good. There’s been some bad, too. Every day is a learning lesson no matter how good or bad I did. Just get back with the coaches, get back with the guys in my room and learn and get better every day.”