The Jacksonville Jaguars made a relatively surprising decision, replacing kicker Riley Patterson on Thursday by signing veteran kicker Brandon McManus.
McManus, 31, spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos where he made 223 of 274 field goals (81.4 percent) and 277 of 286 extra point tries (96.9 percent). His career long was a 61-yarder that he made during the 2021 season.
Respect the leg.
Brandon McManus is good from 61 yards out! #BroncosCountry
📺: #DENvsLAC on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/oqsea7o4sk— NFL (@NFL) January 2, 2022
That was one of 40 successful tries from at least 50 yards in McManus’ career.
While the decision to add a bigger leg isn’t a shocking one, waiving Patterson in May is a surprise.
Patterson, 23, was scooped off waivers by the Jaguars just before the start of the 2022 season and proved to be a reliable addition. While his longest make of the year was from only 53 yards, Patterson made 30 of his 35 field goal attempts (85.7 percent) and 36 of his 37 extra point tries (97.3 percent).
Most importantly, Patterson came up clutch when the Jaguars needed him to in January, drilling a 36-yarder against the Los Angeles Chargers to complete a historic comeback.
Former @MemphisFB kicker Riley Patterson kicks the game winning field goal for the @Jaguars #DUUUVAL pic.twitter.com/4kHKBhXZvU
— Grind City Media (@grindcitymedia) January 15, 2023
Jacksonville also has kicker James McCourt, who spent the 2022 season on the team’s practice squad after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent.
