Packers are willing to create competition for struggling draft pick

The Green Bay Packers don't seem to be happy with Anders Carlson. Whatsoever. According to Bill Huber, who covers the team for Packer Central, Green Bay was close to signing an undisclosed veteran kicker in free agency.

"According to the source, the Packers offered him a contract and the kicker agreed to it, only for him to have a change of heart and sign with another team," Huber wrote.

Via Spotrac, four kickers have signed deals in free agency:

• Wil Lutz - Denver Broncos - 2-year, $8.4 million
• Nick Folk - Tennessee Titans - 1-year, $3.755 million
• Brandon McManus - Washington Commanders - 1-year, $3.6 million
• Joey Slye - Jacksonville Jaguars, 1-year, undisclosed value

Curiously, Wil Lutz had reportedly agreed to a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars during the legal tampering period, but changed his mind and decided to go back to the Denver Broncos. So, the Jaguars pivoted and signed Joey Slye.

Kicking situation

The Packers let Mason Crosby walk in free agency last season and drafted Anders Carlson in the sixth round.

The idea of moving on from Crosby was fine, but the replacement plan failed, and Carlson was one of the worst full-time kickers in football. Among 31 kickers with at least 10 games, he was 25th in field goal percentage and the second worst in extra point percentage. He missed six field goals and five extra points in the regular season. Also, Carlson missed a huge 41-yard field goal against the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, leaving the game with a four-point difference. The 49ers scored a go-ahead touchdown in the following drive.

“I think as we got towards the end of the season, and we were headed towards the playoffs and had an opportunity to be in the playoffs, certainly something, if there was a veteran option out there that would have been really good, then maybe we would have considered it,” Gutekunst said. “But there wasn’t. He was the best option by far. We’re really excited about where he’s going.”

Since the end of the season, the Packers have already found a way to create competition for Anders Carlson, as the team signed former Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny.

Podlesny went undrafted last season and signed with the Minnesota Vikings, but failed to make the 53-man roster. He had a better college career than Carlson, but for the most part struggled with longer kicks.

Market

The veteran free agent options still available on the market include former Viking Greg Joseph and Randy Bullock, who spent some time with the New York Giants last season.