While the Green Bay Packers outperformed expectations in 2023, most supporters believe the club underperformed against the San Francisco 49ers. The Packers led for practically the entire game until the 49ers pulled ahead 24-21 late in the fourth quarter.
Kicker Anders Carlson missed a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that would have given the Packers a seven-point advantage. While the Packers had several opportunities to put the game out of reach before the failed field goal, it was those three points that made the difference. Today, the Packers announced that they had signed some competition for Carlson.
The Green Bay Packers Sign Kicker to Compete With Anders Carlson.
According to Bill Huber, the Packers have signed kicker Jack Podlesny.
Podlesny was voted SEC Special Teams Player of the Year during his senior season with the Bulldogs, making 26-of-31 field-goal attempts and 73-of-74 point-after attempts; two of the missed field goals occurred in the Bulldogs’ playoff victory over Ohio State. Approximately two-thirds of his kickoffs were touchbacks. Podlesny, not Carlson, was the first-team All-SEC kicker.
In three seasons, he made 82.4 percent of his field goals, but only 56.5 percent from 40 or more yards. To finish off his freshman year, he hit a 53-yard field goal to defeat Cincinnati in the Peach Bowl.
“Trotting out there, I was trying to treat it like any other kick,” Podlesny explained of the winning kick. “To be honest, I don’t recall much of what happened because I blacked out during the encounter.
“I was thinking about it the other day, and something I’ve always discussed with my sports psychologist is to put yourself in situations you’ve been in previously and remember that experience, because a positive experience can lead to another. Just thinking about looking up after I hit that, and I knew I hit a clean ball, so I was like, ‘It better go in,’ and watching it split the posts, I was overjoyed.”
Podlesny was undrafted and spent the offseason and first half of training camp with the Minnesota Vikings. He did not attempt any kicks during the preseason, although he did make a high-pressure kick to conclude the offseason training.
What Does this Mean for Anders Carlson?
Carlson was taken by Green Bay in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Despite making his first 17 kicks, he slipped into a slump and was unable to recover. After missing 11 kicks during the regular season, he missed an extra point in the wild-card game against Dallas and a field goal in the divisional round.
The kicker position is likely to be up for grabs in the 2024 season. While many thought it was time to move on from legendary kicker Mason Crosby, supporters had bigger expectations than Carlson met this season.
It is probable that Podlesny is the first of several prospects to test out for the Packers’ kicking position until they gain confidence.
