The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 10 opponent is looking for a new kicker after the Washington Commanders announced the release of Brandon McManus. The veteran kicker is facing a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault during the team’s trip to London in 2023.
We have released K Brandon McManus
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) June 2, 2024
Two flight attendants filed the lawsuit against McManus, filed just last week. McManus has denied all wrongdoing. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes that new Commanders owner Josh Harris co-founded the parent company that owns the airline that transported the team a year ago. He speculates that perhaps through his channels he learned more about the situation.
Statement from Brandon McManus’s attorney, Brett Gallaway: pic.twitter.com/sYwfDFGD6w
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 3, 2024
Either way, McManus is now out of a job, and the Commanders are out of a kicker. They signed him as a free agent this offseason after opting to move on from Joe Slye. The latter is now with the New England Patriots and thus no longer on the market. The Steelers just so happen to have Matthew Wright on the roster, however. Just saying. Pittsburgh’s Week 10 opponent also has multiple former Steelers on their coaching staff.
During his 10-year career, McManus posted an 81.4-percent field goal percentage, mostly with the Denver Broncos. He spent the 2023 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, going 30-for-37 with an 81.1 percent success rate. That figure ranked him 26th in the NFL last season.
The Commanders, however, paid him well, signing him to a one-year, $3.6 million contract, ranking in the top 20. That deal included a $1.5 million signing bonus, which Florio writes could now be in limbo given the circumstances.
McManus has not been charged with any type of crime and is only facing a civil lawsuit, if I’m correct. Nevertheless, both the NFL and specifically the Commanders take such accusations very seriously. The organization faced numerous allegations of poor conduct under previous owner Dan Snyder. Harris has been motivated to clean up the Commanders’ image since taking over.
Currently, there are only two kickers on the market from rosters last season, according to Over the Cap. There is Randy Bullock and Brett Maher, both 35 years old. Bullock spent six games with the New York Giants in 2023, going five-for-six. He has a career 83.3-percent success rate. Maher played for the Los Angeles Rams for eight games in 2023, going 17-for-23, or 73.9 percent. He is just under 80 percent for his career, last year’s performance lowering his average to 79.9.
There are always other kickers out there, but you don’t want to need one in June. According to Pro Football Reference, 41 kickers attempted a field goal last season. Wright is the only one who attempted at least one without making one (going zero-for-one in Carolina).
But I’m not about to do the Commanders’ homework for them. They need to see what their kicking options are after releasing McManus. And the Steelers can sit back and hope that they struggle to find a good one. you never know when a kick might make the difference in a game. That’s why the Steelers pay Chris Boswell $5 million per year.
