Brian Gutekunst has built a contender through the draft, but many of his former draft picks now play across the league. That includes kicker Anders Carlson, who faced the unenviable task of replacing franchise legend Mason Crosby.
The kicker lasted only one season with the Green Bay Packers before spending time with the San Francisco 49ers and, most recently, the New York Jets.
After an up-and-down first season away from Lambeau Field, Carlson is now looking for work again. New York has released the former sixth-round pick in favor of undrafted rookie Caden Davis.
Jets could be the last stop for Packers draft bust Anders Carlson
Kicking in the NFL is a thankless task. Unless you nail a game-winner, the only time you hear your name is after a costly error. Carlson has the leg to make booming kicks with seemingly no limit on his range, but he lacks consistency on the must-haves.
In two seasons, Carlson has missed eight extra-point tries and six field goals within 40-49 yards. He hit a 58-yarder for the Jets, again showing his range, but wasn't reliable enough to make kicks consistently.
What's next for Carlson?
It's only his third year in the NFL, so it's possible another team will give him an opportunity at training camp. Failing that, he may need to go for Plan B, as Carlson's replacement in Green Bay, Brayden Narveson, did by joining the Canadian Football League.
The Packers had Carlson compete with veteran Greg Joseph for the job last summer, but neither player won the job. Rookie Narveson got the opportunity, but the Packers replaced him with Brandon McManus in October.
McManus made 95.2 percent of his field goals and 100 percent of his extra-point tries, although he missed a costly 38-yarder in the wild-card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's not over for Carlson. His brother, Daniel, experienced similar inconsistency with the Minnesota Vikings before becoming a reliable kicker for the Las Vegas Raiders. However, the former Packers draft pick is running out of time to prove himself in the NFL.