The Future Of Kicking Position Receives Exciting Update

This 2024 Green Bay Packers are going to be something special.  In spite of expectations that the Packers would be in a rebuilding year, they ended up being one of the four remaining NFC teams.  In addition, they missed out on the conference championship by three points.

The young Packers offense led by Jordan Love proved it is capable of scoring against any defense.  In a statement released today, Brian Gutekunst revealed what the kicker situation in Green Bay will look like moving forward.

As soon as the regular season began, Carlson found his game. In first five games of his career, he made every field goal he attempted (7-7) and went 10 for 10 on extra points. Three of those field goals were from 50 yards or farther, including a 53-yarder that set a season high. He scored the winning extra point in the Packers’ 18-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints in Week 3.

However, Carlson’s performance deteriorated after that. Ten of the Packers’ final 12 games were marred by at least one missed kick. A league-high five extra points were missed, as were six field goal attempts.

Inconsistent performance by Packers long snapper Matt Orzech didn’t help. Carlson didn’t gain confidence and comfort from his failure to provide good snaps.

Heading into the postseason, the Packers made it clear they would not replace Carlson. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Yeah, you’d like him to make every kick, no doubt about it, but I think it’s part of the growth process. A lot of young [players], especially kickers, go through some trials and tribulations, unfortunately.

However, what’s exciting is the competition he will now face in Green Bay.  It’s also worth noting that legendary kicker Mason Crosby didn’t make 80% of his kicks in a season until 2011 (his fifth year in the league).