5 Green Bay Packers players who won't be missed in 2024

Anders Carlson

The Packers won't cut rookie kicker Anders Carlson this offseason, but they almost certainly will add competition this spring.

Carlson's costly missed 41-yard field goal was a significant factor in the Packers' divisional-round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Unfortunately, we all saw it coming. Green Bay stuck with the rookie kicker despite his struggles this season. While it's admirable to remain patient with young players—and it paid off with Rasheed Walker—it ultimately cost the Packers in the playoffs.

Including the two playoff games, Carlson missed 13 kicks in his rookie season—seven field goals and six extra-point tries. He converted only four of nine field-goal attempts between 40 and 49 yards. He missed another two attempts from 50-plus.

More concerning were his struggles on extra-point tries. He missed a league-high six. PATs are essentially 33-yard field goals, which NFL kickers should make almost every time, barring a bad hold or snap. Carlson missed six, including one in the wild-card victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Hopefully, Carlson can improve his consistency, but it's an issue he struggled with in college. He missed 13 kicks in his final two years at Auburn and only converted 90 percent of his field-goal attempts once in five years. He fell below 73 percent in the other four seasons.

Carlson will likely stick around at training camp and compete for the job, but the Packers must explore their options.