Green Bay Packers Suddenly Facing Another Uncertain Kicker Situation

The Green Bay Packers and general manager Brian Gutekunst made an aggressive move at the kicker position during the 2026 NFL Draft. In an big decision, the Packers traded up to get Florida standout Trey Smack and quickly released veteran kicker Brandon McManus.

McManus was a big part of the problem for Green Bay in its Wild Card matchup against the Chicago Bears. After leading 21-3 at halftime, the Packers blew that lead and were eliminated by their arch-rival.

During that loss, McManus missed both of his field goal attempts and also missed one of his four extra point tries.

While there was a lot of excitement about the addition of Smack, Green Bay may be headed into another season of uncertainty at the position.

According to ESPN insider Rob Demovsky, Smack is far from a guarantee to win the job. He has had a couple of rough showings with the Packers since being drafted. There is now an open kicker competition featuring both Smack and Lucas Havrisik.

Here is what Demovsky had to say about the situation.

"The Packers were so sure rookie Trey Smack will be their opening-day kicker that they cut veteran Brandon McManus shortly after they drafted Smack in the sixth round despite paying McManus a $1 million roster bonus in March," Demovsky wrote.

"Smack had a couple of rough days in offseason practices with multiple missed kicks, so he's going to have to prove he can do the job. The Packers kept a second kicker, Lucas Havrisik, on the offseason roster and the expectation is that there will be a head-to-head competition throughout the preseason."

Throughout his college career at Florida, Smack was one of the best kickers in the nation. He finished his Gators career making 82.8 percent of his field goal attempts and connecting on 100 of his 101 extra points. Those numbers and the release of McManus made many believe the rookie would enter 2026 as Green Bay's starter.

Of course, it's still way too early to panic about the kicker situation. Smack could come into training camp and preseason action and blow the Packers away. Or, he could end up being a bust and finding himself looking for a new team earlier than expect.

All of that being said, Matt LaFleur and company badly need consistency at the kicker spot. In recent years, kickers have cost Green Bay dearly in multiple big games.

For a team with Super Bowl aspirations entering the 2026 season, the Packers can't afford to have a kicker hold them back from bringing another Lombardi Trophy home to Lambeau Field.