While veteran Mason Crosby made 86.2 percent of his field goal attempts and it’s true that finding reliable kickers in the NFL can be a fright-filled adventure, the Green Bay Packers should probably move on from the 38-year-old kicker this offseason.
Crosby, who now ranks 11th all-time in points scored, holds just about every franchise record for kicking and his future in the team’s Hall of Fame is secure. But the Packers have to be realistic about where Crosby is and what the near future looks like for a kicker who is losing leg strength, doesn’t have a contract and turns 39 in September.
Crosby was excellent from 49 yards and in during the 2022 season. He connected on 24 of 25 attempts (including makes from 48 and 49 yards in the season finale against Detroit) after missing eight of 20 attempts between 20-49 last year.
The problem: Crosby was 1-for-4 on field goals of 50 yards or longer, his touchback percentage plummeted to 20.3 percent (third-worst in the NFL) and he averaged only 60.3 yards per kickoff (worst among full-time kickers).
Sure, Crosby hit a 56-yarder at Lambeau Field against the Vikings in Week 17. But it was also 40 degrees with little wind that day. Crosby missed from 53 yards, 54 yards and 55 yards earlier in the season. His 53-yarder against the Lions in the finale was short and bounced off the crossbar.
Leg strength declines with age and generally doesn’t come back. Crosby, the team’s pick in the sixth round of the 2007 draft, has had a declining touchback percentage each of the last three years.
Late in the season, the Packers wanted Ramiz Ahmed to come off the practice squad and handle kickoffs, but he injured his groin before Week 17 and didn’t play the rest of the year.
The Packers’ punter, veteran Pat O’Donnell, has only kicked off 21 times at the NFL level. He’ll be entering his 10th season in 2023.
On the financial side, Crosby counted almost $5 million on the cap in 2022 and would need a new contract to return next season. General manager Brian Gutekunst could save a few million on the cap in 2023 by going younger and cheaper at kicker.
Of course, there’s an obvious risk here. Crosby, despite declining leg strength, was reliable at key distances under Rich Bisaccia in 2022 and knows how to kick at Lambeau Field. It’s possible he could have a few more seasons kicking at a decent percentage in the 20-49 range barring injury. And starting over at kicker would be a big change for a franchise that has known only one over the last decade and a half.
But all good things must come to an end, and it’s time for the Packers to begin anew at kicker. The signs of decline are there, and the end of Crosby’s contract provides a clean severance point.
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