The Green Bay Packers are poised to sign kicker Brandon McManus, as confirmed by a source familiar with the situation.
The information was disclosed on Tuesday, and the source requested to remain anonymous since the official announcement has yet to be made.
This decision comes following the NFL’s conclusion last month that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate allegations against McManus, who was accused of sexually assaulting two flight attendants during a Jacksonville Jaguars flight to London last year.
The league has deemed the matter closed, allowing McManus to rejoin a team; however, there remains the possibility for the case to be reopened if any new evidence surfaces.
On the legal front, a civil case related to the incident is still active in the Duval County Circuit Court in Florida.
Attempts to reach the attorneys representing the plaintiffs did not yield immediate responses.
Court documents filed initially in late May under pseudonyms and later in September with the women’s identities revealed allegations that McManus made unwelcome advances, attempting to kiss one of the women and inappropriately touching both while they were performing their aviation duties on a flight on September 28, 2023.
This flight was part of a trip to play two games in England for the Jaguars.
McManus, who signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent in March, was still on their roster when the lawsuit was filed; however, the team parted ways with him shortly after.
The 33-year-old kicker is joining the Packers in light of rookie Brayden Narveson’s struggles, having missed his fifth field goal this season during a 34-13 win against Arizona.
The Packers have been on the lookout for a dependable kicker since parting ways with Mason Crosby, who had served in the role from 2007 to 2022 and is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer.
Green Bay selected Anders Carlson from Auburn in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but his inconsistent performance culminated in a missed 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter of a 24-21 playoff defeat against San Francisco.
Following a competition for the position between Carlson and veteran Greg Joseph during training camp, the Packers decided to go a different route by claiming Narveson off waivers from the Tennessee Titans.
Narveson completed 12 out of 17 field goal attempts this season, without any attempts from distances exceeding 49 yards.
McManus, originally from Philadelphia and a Temple University alum, played the first nine years of his career with the Denver Broncos, where he was part of the Super Bowl-winning team in the 2015 season.
Following his time in Denver, McManus spent the 2023 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.