The Green Bay Packers are signing kicker Brandon McManus, according to a person with knowledge of the move.
The person spoke to The Related Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
The move comes after the NFL said late last month that it found insufficient evidence to support claims that McManus sexually assaulted two women who worked as flight attendants on the Jacksonville Jaguars' trip to London last year. The league considers the case closed, clearing the way for McManus to rejoin a team, although it could be reopened if new evidence emerges.
The civil case remains active in Duval County Circuit Court in Florida. A message sent to attorneys representing the women was not immediately returned.
In court documents initially filed in late May under pseudonyms and then again in early September using their names when a judge ruled the lawsuit did not meet anonymity criteria, the women allege that McManus attempted to kiss one of them and rubbed against her. against both while they were trying to fulfill their job responsibilities during the transatlantic flight on September 28, 2023. The team was on its way to play a couple of games in England.
McManus signed with Washington as a free agent in March and was on the Commanders' roster when the lawsuit was filed. They released him shortly after.
The 33-year-old joins Inexperienced Bay after rookie Brayden Narveson missed his league-worst fifth field goal this season on Sunday in a 34-13 win over Arizona. The Packers have struggled to find a reliable kicker since moving on from Mason Crosby, who held the position from 2007-2022 and remains the franchise's all-time leading scorer.
Inexperienced Bay selected Anders Carlson out of Auburn in the sixth round of the 2023 draft, but he capped an inconsistent rookie season by missing a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of a 24-21 playoff loss at San Francisco. . After Carlson and veteran Greg Joseph competed for the job in training camp, the Packers went in a different direction and claimed Narveson off waivers from the Tennessee Titans.
Narveson made 12 of 17 field goal attempts this season without attempting any from farther than 49 yards.
McManus, a Philadelphia native who played college football at Temple, spent his first nine years with Denver and was with the Broncos when they won the Tremendous Bowl in the 2015 season. He played for Jacksonville in 2023.
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