After the 2022 NFL season ended, the Green Bay Packers made a series of unpopular [at the time] decisions regarding their roster. Of course, the most noteworthy of these was the trade of four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets. This decision was made so that 2020 first round pick Jordan Love could take over as the starting quarterback.
That decision ended up working out well for the Packers, as Love completed 64.2% of his passes for 4,159 yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 96.1 passer rating. A few days after training camp began this year, Love and the Packers agreed to a four-year $220 million contract extension, the richest deal in franchise history.
The Green Bay Packers Decided to Move on From Kicker Mason Crosby in Favor of Anders Carlson
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
Not every decision the Packers made, though, worked out as well. In addition to moving on from Rodgers, the Packers also decided to move on from the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Mason Crosby. In his final season with Green Bay, Crosby made 86.2% of his field goal attempts and 94.9% of his extra points.
To replace him, the Packers selected Auburn’s Anders Carlson in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The selection of Carlson was itself questioned heavily by draft experts, but the decision to hand him the job with no competition stumped everyone.
As a rookie, Carlson made 81.8% of his field goals and just 87.2% of his extra points. While he got off to a good start in the regular season, the rookie kicker missed at least one kick in 10 of Green Bay’s final 12 games. These contests include the Packers’ two games in the NFL Playoffs.
Due to his struggles, the Packers made the decision to bring in a variety of kickers to compete for the starting job in 2024. Most notably, former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph has been turning heads during training camp.
However, the Packers are not leaving any stone unturned in their quest to put the best possible product on the field.
The Green Bay Packers Work Out 3 Potential Kickers on Monday
While Carlson got off to a strong start to the offseason programs and training camp, he started to falter a bit late last week. As it stands, Joseph has made 37/41 of his kicks and Carlson has made 34/41.
After family night on Saturday, the Packers hosted workouts for several players, including three kickers: Jonathan Gariby, James McCourt, and Andre Szmyt.
The most notable of these kickers is Gariby, who played for the Arlington Renegades of the UFL last season. He missed just one kick. Back when he was in college at Texas Tech, he once drilled a 62-yard field goal.
James McCourt is an Irish-born kicker who went to college at Illinois. Wisconsin Badgers fans may remember him as the kicker who drilled a game winning field goal against them in 2019 when Wisconsin was ranked number six in the country. He has spent time on the practice squads/in training camps with the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Las Vegas Raiders.
Andre Szmyt spent time with the Chicago Bears during training camp last year but spent the 2023 season playing for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the UFL. The former Syracuse kicker made 90.9% of his field goal attempts in the UFL, including a 61-yarder.
