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2020 Packers Free Agents: Green Bay is losing some depth
Each winter, Acme Packing Company breaks down the Green Bay Packers’ roster from the previous year by position to examine the team’s performance and needs in the offseason. We continue our look at the Special Teams.
Mason Crosby
NFL Experience: 13 years
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
Expiring Contract: 4 Year, $16,100,000
This could be a problem. Mason Crosby had a heck of a contract year in 2019, hitting 91.7% of his kicks, setting a career high. He also knocked in 62% of his kickoffs for touchbacks, which is also a career high. Mason Crosby is not going to be cheap to retain, and I would not be surprised if the Bears came knocking.
That said, Crosby has a good thing going in Green Bay. He’s popular (unsurprisingly) with the fanbase, simultaneously capturing boyish charm in an old man’s visage. He has one of the most difficult kicking jobs in the NFL given the weather and field degradation in Green Bay, and hiring any replacement will be a bit of a crapshoot. It’s hard to scout for the specific challenges of Green Bay, and the best solution is simply to sign him, and not have to worry about it. After all, Chicago might have won a Super Bowl had Crosby kicked for them in 2018.
Mason has had a few clunkers of course, as he struggled in 2017, and really struggled in 2012, when he was so bad many pundits expected him to lose his spot. But for the most part, he maintains a nice, high 80s clip, he makes almost all of his PATs, and he seems to be a good clubhouse guy. Kickers shouldn’t be as important as they are, but given their involvement in scoring plays and setting field position, you can’t afford to have a bad one.