GREEN BAY – The Packers have brought in a new kicker and veteran Brandon McManus is grateful for another chance and a fresh start.

Green Bay on Wednesday moved on from rookie Brayden Narveson, who missed five field goals in six games this season, to sign McManus, who spent nine years with the Broncos from 2014 to 2022 and one year with the Jaguars last season.

In recent months, McManus has struggled with a civil lawsuit that also led to an NFL investigation.

Two weeks ago, the NFL found insufficient evidence to discipline McManus under the league’s personal conduct policy. On Wednesday, McManus also said the lawsuit was “settled,” but did not go into details.

“The last few months have been a difficult time,” McManus said after practice on Wednesday. “I’m glad that’s a thing of the past now. I hoped for another chance and worked hard for it. “I am extremely grateful to the Green Bay Packers for giving me the next chance to come back here and play the game I love.”

General manager Brian Gutekunst said the Packers relied on the NFL’s investigation in the decision to sign McManus. He also spoke directly with McManus when he came to Green Bay for practice on Tuesday, calling it a “really good conversation.”

“We’re very pleased with (the league’s) investigation and what they found to make us feel comfortable at this point,” Gutekunst said. “We wanted to make sure we did our due diligence. Again, we feel really good about where we are now. We’re excited to have him out there.”

The Packers are looking for consistency and reliability at the kicker position after not getting it from rookie Anders Carlson last season or Narveson in 2024.

Carlson missed six field goals and five extra points last season before suffering a crucial fourth-quarter miss in the playoff loss at San Francisco. He was released at the end of training camp this summer in favor of Narveson, a waiver request from Tennessee who made 12 of 17 field goals, all within 50 yards and all five missed throws of the same type – wide right (or wide). the right post) from the left diamond.

After sticking with Carlson throughout last season, Gutekunst was quicker to make a move this year as the Packers got off to a 4-2 start and struggled in a stacked NFC North.

“Where our football team is at right now, we know how important these games are,” Gutekunst said. “If we had the opportunity to acquire an experienced kicker who has been through some of these fires and the pressures our team will be under over the next few weeks, I thought it was important that we acquire one. And.” Really, Brandon was the only one out there.

Gutekunst acknowledged that the off-field issue was probably the only reason a kicker with McManus’ track record was available. Over his career, he has made 81.4% of his field goals, with that percentage rising to 90.8% from within 50 yards. He’s also only missed nine PATs over his decade-long career, averaging about one per season.

“Obviously a very experienced kicker,” Gutekunst said of McManus. “He was in very high-pressure situations and played for a long time in bad weather in an outdoor stadium. So he just has a lot of experience, is very talented, very gifted and has a very strong leg. He was on fire and had the ups and downs that all kickers could go through and come out on the other side.

With the weather changing soon in Green Bay and conditions becoming more difficult as the season progresses, McManus’ experience will certainly help the Packers feel better in their kicking game.

“This is the National Football League,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “You expect whoever you send there to go out there and make the kicks.”

McManus pointed to his own struggle early in his career to stay with the Broncos, who traded for him, demoted him and then restored him to full-time status a little less than a decade ago, as part of what defined his successful career.

“Every day you have to prove yourself,” he said. “It’s such a black and white position that you have to stay focused every time you go out. Every single kick is of the utmost importance.”

After last season, Jacksonville didn’t bring McManus back and he signed with Washington, which released him in the spring when the lawsuit was filed. Since then, he has been training alone at home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, including kicking a light post to work on his accuracy when a field with a post was not available.

“I’m happy to be here,” he said. “I worked hard to get another chance to get back in.”