Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur expressed the utmost confidence in kicker Trey Smack despite the rookie missing three attempts in Week 5 versus the Chicago Bears. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell doesn’t share that confidence.
Barnwell constructed a list of 15 NFL players and coaches on the hot seat heading into Week 6. Smack made the list after his rough Sunday performance against the Bears.
“In a blowout victory over those same Bears, though, Smack struggled badly. He missed an extra point and field goal attempts from 43 and 47 yards out, matching McManus’ performance in the wild-card loss. All three kicks were wide,” wrote Barnwell. “Though the Packers have to deal with the reality that it’s hard to kick in wintry conditions once the calendar hits December and January in Green Bay, this game was played on a 73-degree day with modest wind.
“One bad game shouldn’t sink Smack. If he struggles in the weeks to come, though, the Packers might not be willing to go into the winter with an inexperienced kicker, especially given what happened to them in the postseason a year ago.”
After five weeks, Smack has made 7 of 10 field goals and gone 9-for-11 on extra-point attempts. Smack is 3-for-6 on tries longer than 39 yards.
Packers Kicker Trey Smack on Hot Seat Entering Week 6?
It might be a matter of semantics, but from one perspective, Barnwell’s assessment didn’t really place Smack on the hot seat. The kicker probably isn’t in a situation where one more missed kick is going to end his tenure with the Packers.
As Barnwell put it, one bad game won’t “sink” the rookie.
But the analyst clearly thinks the rough Week 5 outing should have the Packers on notice. It’s still a relatively small sample, but his 70% field-goal percentage is below average. His two misses on extra points aren’t ideal either.
Conditions where he will be kicking during the second half of this season will only get more difficult. Barnwell also doesn’t see the Packers having a lot of patience with the rookie kicker when missed field goals badly hurt Green Bay in the playoffs last January.
On the other hand, LaFleur was pretty mum on the idea Smack is a concern. At least that’s what he expressed publicly in his Monday press conference.
“It doesn’t shake my confidence in him. I’ve seen him too much. I’ve watched him go out there and hit these almost 60-yard field goals,” LaFleur said. “We have a ton of confidence in him, and I think he is built the right way in terms of his mindset.”
The head coach also blamed the wind on Smack’s misses Sunday. Barnwell called that wind “modest” but Smack kicked in the SEC during his college career. He’s adapting to the midwest conditions, and that will take some time.
Barnwell doesn’t seem convinced everything is fine with Smack and the Packers. But the kicker hasn’t cost the team a game this season, and the Packers have given no indication they want to pursue a different kicker.
Green Bay selected Smack in the sixth round during the 2026 NFL Draft. He made 82.8% of his field goals for the Florida Gators from 2022-25.
Packers’ Trey Smack Gets Warning From NFL Analyst