Packers sign kicker Brandon McManus to replace struggling rookie Brayden Narveson

Brandon McManus is back in the NFL after the Green Bay Packers signed him to replace struggling rookie kicker Brayden Narveson.

The Packers announced Wednesday they had signed McManus and had released Narveson, who had an NFL-high five missed field-goal attempts.

This move comes after the NFL said late last month it did not find sufficient evidence to support claims that McManus sexually assaulted two women who were working as flight attendants on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ trip to London last year. The league considers the case closed, paving the way for McManus to rejoin a team, though it could be reopened if new evidence emerged.

“Obviously he wouldn’t be available right now if those accusations weren’t out there, but I think the league did a really thorough investigation, and we leaned on that as we went through it,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said.

The civil case remains active in Duval County Circuit Court in Florida. A message sent to attorneys representing the women was not immediately returned.

Gutekunst was asked if the team had done its own investigation into the allegations.

“Our investigation was really linked with that,” Gutekunst said, referring to the NFL's investigation. “But at the same time, obviously with every acquisition we make, we go through those things.”

Gutekunst said he also had spoken to McManus on Tuesday.

“We wanted to make sure that we did our due diligence,” Gutekunst said. "Again, we feel really good about that where we sit right now. We’re excited to get him out there.”

In court documents initially filed in late May under pseudonyms and then again in early September using their names when a judge ruled the lawsuit did not meet the criteria for anonymity, the women allege McManus tried to kiss one of them and rubbed up against both while they were trying to perform their work responsibilities during the Sept. 28, 2023, trans-Atlantic flight. The team was on its way to play a pair of games in England.

McManus signed with Washington as a free agent in March and was on the Commanders' roster when the lawsuit was filed. They released him soon after.

The 33-year-old joins Green Bay in the aftermath of Narveson missing his league-worst fifth field goal this season Sunday in a 34-13 victory over Arizona. The Packers have struggled to find a reliable kicker since moving on from Mason Crosby, who held down the job from 2007-22 and remains the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.

Green Bay selected Anders Carlson out of Auburn in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, but he capped an inconsistent rookie season by missing a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of a 24-21 playoff loss at San Francisco. After Carlson and veteran Greg Joseph competed for the job in training camp, the Packers went in a different direction and claimed Narveson off waivers from the Tennessee Titans.

Narveson was 12 of 17 on field-goal attempts this season without attempting any from beyond 49 yards.

“Brayden’s a very talented, young kicker,” Gutekunst said. "But he’s young. He’s going through some things for the first time. I think where our football team is at right now, we know how important these games are. I thought it was important that if we had an opportunity to get a veteran kicker who’d been through some of these fires and some of this pressure that our team is going to go through over the next few weeks, I thought it was important that we acquire one. And really Brandon was the only one that was out there.”

McManus, a Philadelphia native who played college football at Temple, spent his first nine years with Denver and was with the Broncos when they won the Super Bowl in the 2015 season. He played for Jacksonville in 2023.

He has made 81.4% of his career field-goal attempts. McManus has made just 54.9% of his career attempts from at least 50 yards (45 of 82) but has made 90.8% of his other attempts (208 of 229).

McManus also has made 97.2% of his extra-point attempts (312 of 321).

He was 30 of 37 on field-goal attempts and 35 of 35 on extra points with the Jaguars last season.

In another move announced Wednesday, the Packers signed wide receiver Malik Knowles to the practice squad.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Megargee in Green Bay, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press