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Packers make a move that quietly signals they're already thinking about what truly matters in the 2025 regular season

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Wendell Ferreira | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 7:25 PM ET

Back in the offseason, the Green Bay Packers gave kicker Brandon McManus a three-year, $15.3 million contract to stay with the team after solving the kicking issues last year. So, there's no realistic chance that the veteran won't be the starter by Week 1.

So why, right after releasing Alex Hale from the International Pathway Program slot , have the Packers just signed another kicker? The team did it, by getting Irish kicker Mark McNamee. The European player was a second-round pick in the CFL Global Draft and spent some preseason time with the BC Lions. McNamee received the designation from the IPP, so he doesn't count against the 90-man roster.

The move happened as they are already thinking about the regular season. According to Tom Silverstein from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers wanted another kicker for training camp "because they don't want McManus to wear his leg out." It makes total sense, especially because McManus will be 34 by Week 1 and has been in the NFL since 2013.

The new kicker knows he is a camp leg for the most part, but he also benefits from having a platform to show his skill set for the entire NFL—and even for the Packers as well, since the team might want a backup kicker on the practice squad.

Alex Hale and a freak injury

Backup kicker Alex Hale had been placed on the non-football injury list and is expected to miss several weeks due to what was called by multiple reports as a "freak eye injury," as he was hit by a football when practicing.

The problem for the Packers was that Hale didn't count against the 90-man roster as a part of the International Pathway Program. He is an Australian player with college experience in the United States, but was still eligible for the program. McNamee can replace him on that spot.

Each NFL club is permitted one roster exemption for a qualifying international player from the start of the club's offseason program through the roster reduction to 53 players. At that time, qualifying international players are eligible to be signed to a 17th practice squad roster spot reserved for international athletes across any of the 32 teams.

Kicker situation

The lack of a solid kicker was a big issue for the Packers before signing Brandon McManus. The final year of veteran Mason Crosby was already tough, and the team had a bad kicking year with sixth-rounder Anders Carlson in 2023. The team rotated some veterans and young players, but failed to reach any level of consistency. Finally, the Packers were able to sign McManus in free agency during the season in 2024, and he immediately became one of the most accurate kickers in football.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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