Packers cut kicker Anders Carlson after playoff disaster

Eight months ago, the Green Bay Packers were in prime position to pull off their second-consecutive major postseason upset, as they had the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers on the ropes heading into the 4th quarter of their Divisional Round matchup. The Packers carried a seven point lead into the final fifteen minutes, but immediately saw that lead dwindle to four after 49ers kicker Jake Moody banged home a 52-yard field goal. Just about nine minutes later, Packers kicker Anders Carlson had the chance to push the lead back to seven, but the rookie pushed a 41-yard attempt wide left, opening the door for San Francisco to march down the field and take the lead for good with just a minute to go.

Now, as all 32 NFL teams whittle down their rosters down to just 53 players ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline, NFL insider Tom Pelissero broke the news that the Packers have moved on from Anders Carlson after just a single season with the team.

“Kicker change in Green Bay: The #Packers cut Anders Carlson, per source,” tweets NFL insider Tom Pelissero.

Anders Carlson is the younger brother of Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson, who is currently the fifth-most accurate kicker in the NFL. In 2023, Anders Carlson connected on just 81 percent of his field goal attempts (24th in the NFL) and 87 percent of his extra points (last in the NFL). Carlson was the only kicker in the league who hit under 90 percent of their PAT’s last season.

Now, with Anders Carlson out of the picture, it looks like the Packers will be turning to veteran Greg Joseph, who has spent the last three seasons kicking for Green Bay’s NFC North division rival, the Minnesota Vikings. In those three seasons, Joseph connected on just 82 percent of his kicks, but did enough during training camp and the preseason to steal the job away from Carlson.