Commanders to sign veteran kicker

The veteran specialist informed NFL Network’s Jason McCourty of his deal, which is a one-year pact worth $3.6M. This will be McManus’ third team in three seasons, with the Broncos having cut him last year. 

Despite the Jaguars missing out on Wil Lutz today, they will let McManus head to the Commanders.

In 2023, McManus fared slightly better than he did in his final Broncos season; he made 30-of-37 field-goal tries. Nevertheless, the strong-legged kicker was only 5 of 10 from beyond 50 yards. 

McManus has been a good, not great, option throughout his career, making between 80 and 86 percent of his tries in all but two seasons.

Never topping an 85.7 percent make rate in a season, McManus has not strayed far from his mean. That has kept the veteran, who played a key part in the 2015 Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning effort as their offense slowed during Peyton Manning‘s final season, on the radar.

Going into his age-33 season, McManus will step in for Joey Slye, who is unsigned. Slye kicked for Ron Rivera in Carolina and Washington, but with a new staff in town, it is safe to assume McManus has a clear runway to win the job. 

This will be the former Giants UDFA’s 11th season as a regular kicker. As for the Jaguars, they still have their 2022 kicker — Riley Patterson — signed to a futures deal.