Packers Release Kicker Alex Hale Before Training Camp

Amid last year’s kicking crisis, the Green Bay Packers signed rookie Alex Hale, a talented import from Australia. While he didn’t do enough to win the job, he did do enough to earn a season-long ticket as Green Bay’s International Player Pathway Program player.

On Monday, just two days before the first practice of Packers training camp, Hale was released. The decision wasn’t performance-based. Rather, he suffered an eye injury that will keep him out of action for “several” weeks, according to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein.

The Packers signed Brandon McManus early last season, and he earned a new contract after leading the NFL in field-goal percentage last season. McManus is the oldest player on the roster. The Packers will want to keep some of the wear and tear off his leg, so they probably will sign a kicker at some point this week.

Hale made 79.6 percent of his field goals at Oklahoma State, including a nation’s best 92.9 percent in 2020. As a senior in 2023, he made 79.4 percent of his field-goal attempts. He was 3-of-4 from 50-plus yards for his career.

A superb athlete in Australia, Hale wanted to go to college in the United States and play a sport.

“So, I began looking at kicking and I started from scratch. Went to see John and he told me as much as he could and sent me on my way,” Hale said upon signing.

John Carney is one of the best kickers in NFL history and runs Carney Coaching in Carlsbad, Calif.

“Several years ago, his parents kind of dropped him off at our gym and said, ‘Hey, we’re from Australia. His big brother played soccer for San Diego State. And he likes to kick football, so we’re just going to drop him off here and see what happens,’” Carney said.

A quick study, he earned an opportunity at Oklahoma State. His first time in pads and a helmet was at his first OSU practice.

“He’s very accurate. He’s strong,” Carney said. “In the combine last week, he hit a 60-yard field goal no problem. He kicks off well. I think his skills are athletic, very good focus, very good demeanor to become a very good NFL kicker. He’s got that demeanor that you want, just a guy that’s just a very cool character. Just goes about his business and is not distracted.”

The Packers tried him out and signed him; he did not kick in the preseason.

The Packers have the bare minimum of specialists entering camp, with McManus at kicker, Daniel Whelan at punter and Matt Orzech at long snapper.

IPP players are given roster exemptions, so Hale did not count on the 90-man roster or the 16-player practice squad. By rule, Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma is not eligible for that role. So, there is an opening for a foreign-born player if the Packers choose to fill it.

In other roster news, the Packers signed another receiver.

Packers Training Camp Previews

Cornerbacks | Linebackers | Defensive ends | Defensive tackles | Offensive line | Receivers |  Tight ends | Running backs | Quarterbacks | Ranking every player on roster