Jaguars' decision to sign former Super Bowl champ is a no-brainer
In one of the most surprising news this week, the Denver Broncos released Super Bowl-winning kicker Brandon McManus. Unsurprisingly, the nine-year veteran quickly landed on his feet as he's signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2023 NFL season. At 31 years old, McManus finished 2022 with a 77.8% field goal rate, his lowest […]
In one of the most surprising news this week, the Denver Broncos released Super Bowl-winning kicker Brandon McManus. Unsurprisingly, the nine-year veteran quickly landed on his feet as he's signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2023 NFL season.
At 31 years old, McManus finished 2022 with a 77.8% field goal rate, his lowest mark since 2017. However, context goes a long way in explaining that as five of his eight total misses came in attempts of 50+ yards.
In a corresponding move, the Jaguars waived Riley Patterson.
The Jags' signing is an absolute no-brainer. Last season, Patterson missed three field goal attempts in the 40-49 yard range, while McManus was a perfect 10-for-10. He hasn't missed a single such attempt since 2019.
McManus has been around for almost a decade now and leads the NFL in 50+ yard field goals in that span. Per the Jaguars' official press release, "he is one of two placekickers to convert all field goal and extra point attempts (minimum 10 field goals made) in the postseason in the last nine seasons."
However, the hype shouldn't get out of control either. After all, McManus is going to be 32 years old when the season starts, and it'd be optimistic to think he'll have one of the best seasons of his career at this stage.
And yet, the Jaguars are looking for a serviceable kicker and a consistent one. They get that in McManus. In a free agency market with mostly aging veterans available, Jacksonville might've secured the safest option just days removed from his release from the Broncos.
