Brandon McManus didn't have to wait too long in the unemployment line. Less than 48 hours after the Denver Broncos decided to release the veteran kicker, McManus signed with the Jaguars, the team announced Thursday. The deal is for one year, per ESPN. To make room for McManus, the Jaguars traded fellow kicker Riley Patterson to the Lions for a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick, per NFL Media. Patterson appeared in seven games for the Lions in 2021.
McManus entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2013 out of Temple. He spent a short time with the Colts and Giants to begin his pro career before catching on with the Broncos in 2014 and had been in Denver up until Tuesday. McManus was the last remaining player from the Broncos' Super Bowl 50 championship team. In that game, he converted all three of his field goal attempts to help push Denver to a title. McManus also ranks second on the franchise's all-time scoring list.
For his career, McManus has connected on 81.4% of his field goal attempts and 96.9% of his extra points. Last season was somewhat of a down year for the 31-year-old, however, as he converted just 77.8% of his field goals in 2022. However, five of his eight misses were from 50 yards or farther, meaning he was hitting 86.9% of his field goal attempts from inside 50 yards.
McManus now joins a Jaguars team that is favored to come out of the AFC South after reaching the Divisional Round last season. He'll come in and replace Patterson, who kicked in all 17 regular-season games for Jacksonville in 2022. Patterson converted 85.7% of his field goals and 97.3% of his extra points.
