The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t been a top-tier destination for free agents in a long time, but that has changed, as of late. After winning the AFC South and a playoff game last season, expectations are now pretty high for the team heading into the 2023 season.
So much so that kicker Brandon McManus called the Jaguars to ask if he could get a spot on the roster when he became a free agent earlier this month.
“Brandon reached out to me, so he’s a guy who wanted to play here,” Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell told reporters Tuesday morning. “I think that just kind of gives you a picture of where the culture has gone. We have players who are free agents after getting released saying ‘Hey coach, I would love to play here.’ It’s just a testament to what Coach [Doug] Pederson has done, what the overall team is like.
“So it’s a guy who wanted to be here and then it was an opportunity to get better as a group. Riley [Patterson] did a really good job, but [McManus] is a guy who gives us a lot more flexibility, not only on kickoffs to pin them deep and do different things, but it gives us a longer kickoff line on Sundays.”
Farwell said he didn’t have much of a pre-existing relationship with McManus, who he had only met prior to a few games in the past.
McManus spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos where he made 223 field goals, including 40 from at least 50 yards.
